Cllr Don Mackenzie writes in the Yorkshire Post this week about the need for improved connectivity for rural constituents

He explains the urgent need for high quality broadband as part of the Superfast North Yorkshire scheme.

He also argues that public transport is a ‘major issue’ in rural areas, as the county council subsidises bus services but ‘cannot accede to every request’.

He commented: ‘I think it is very easy to allow rural areas to be at a disadvantage compared with bigger urban areas, especially with digital services, but North Yorkshire being a large and essentially rural county, rural services are one of our top priorities.’

Meanwhile Telecom TV reports that the Government promise of ‘gigabit capable’ full-fibre broadband is still not being fulfilled in rural towns and villages.

The report maintains that the absence of ‘any discernibly coherent national plan’ for the roll-out of full-fibre has meant that the quality of broadband is a matter of ‘postcode lottery’, and in particular the cost/benefit economics of deploying fibre in remote and rural areas has been a barrier.

Full articles:

Yorkshire Post - Better digital connections can help level up rural North Yorkshire, says county councillor Don Mackenzie

Telecom TV - Government promise of "gigabit capable" full-fibre broadband to all the UK by 2025 is wishful thinking