Local MP, Andrew Griffith, has celebrated new statistics showing broadband improvements across West Sussex.
New statistics released by Ofcom in its latest Connected Nations report show that both full fibre and gigabit broadband availability across the constituency of Arundel & South Downs has increased by 53% since 2020. Furthermore, broadband connections in Arundel & South Downs receiving under 10 Mbps (Megabytes per second) have fallen by 42% since 2019. The average broadband download speed across the MP’s constituency rose by 36% between 2019 and 2021 from 38.8 Mbps to 52.9 Mbps.
These new statistics are published as the Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport prepares to launch the start of work around upgrading 68,000 rural broadband connections in West Sussex later this year as part of the Government’s £5 billion Project Gigabit. This project aims to deliver broadband improvements for ‘hard-to-reach’ areas across the UK and will mean that West Sussex will receive up to £112 million of Government investment.
Commenting, Andrew Griffith MP said:
“It is excellent news that Arundel & South Downs has benefitted from broadband improvements over the last number of years. This means that ever fewer residents in West Sussex are ‘battling for bandwidth’ over emails, work calls and streaming services.
Despite this, there is still more work to be done. That’s why I am pleased the Government plans to invest in upgrading 68,000 broadband connections across West Sussex. I’m also glad that the Government remains committed to the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme where communities can come together to secure funding to upgrade their broadband connections.
If you have set up a Community Fibre Partnership to claim your Gigabit Broadband Vouchers in Arundel & South Downs and need practical support, please don’t hesitate to contact me.”
