Pledge to end broadband 'not-spots'
Updated on 20 February 2008
Money is to be made available to eliminate broadband "not-spots" in the countryside, Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones has said.
He said the Assembly Government was working with the telecommunications industry to make sure everyone could get a high-speed internet connection.
There have been complaints that broadband is yet to arrive in isolated parts of rural Wales and in some towns - so-called "not-spots".
During Senedd exchanges, Mid and West Wales AM Nerys Evans said she was "very doubtful" about an estimate that 99.4% of people in Wales could take up broadband if they wanted.
"There are a number of examples of whole villages ... where research has shown that the lack of a broadband connection is having a great economic impact on the village," she said.
Mr Jones said: "We don't know the exact figure regarding the numbers who are unable to access a broadband connection, but we do believe it's significantly higher than the 0.6% which is reported in some places."
He told AMs the European Commission must agree to increase the amount the Assembly Government can spend on the problem without breaking rules on state subsidies.
Plaid Cymru leader Mr Jones, the Cabinet minister for the economy, said it was difficult to get a grasp on the true scale of the problem.
"The Government's intention is to ensure that adequate funding is provided to ensure that this problem is addressed," he added. "In relation to the whole of Wales the number is small, but for those people who can't get it I understand it's a big issue."
Liberal Democrat AM Mick Bates said: "Minister, it's a huge problem in certain areas, not a small one. It can have a devastating economic impact on many businesses."
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