Cat Smith, MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood, met with senior BT staff to pursue residents’ concerns about the lack of high-speed broadband at the Highgrove Estate in Lancaster earlier this week.
The company’s cabinet serving the estate connect some 170 households around Caspian Way in Scotforth, who experience slow connection speeds and problems with downloads.
Residents have been lobbying for BT to upgrade Lancaster Exchange Cabinet 76 for a number of years, with the help of local City and County councillors and the issue has previously been raised in the House of Commons, and through local media outlets. A 250-strong petition has also been sent to Ed Vaisey MP, Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy.
The estate includes many professionals who rely on their connection for business purposes and struggle to use services such as Skype and FaceTime.
“BT have been too slow in ensuring residents of the Highgrove Estate have access to high-speed broadband,” commented Cat Smith, who met with BT officials in Westminster to discuss the issue earlier this week.
“BT’s poor response to residents enquiries has only further served to frustrate residents, so I am pleased that BT have agreed to my request to meet with residents in the New Year.
“Residents wishing to be advised of the meeting details should contact my office via cat.smith.mp@parliament.uk.”