The South Lakes MP has welcomed the government’s announcement to extend broadband access to rural areas, but says the government must provide more details about how they plan to deliver it.
Tim Farron says he's afraid they might provide what he describes as a “second class service” to rural areas.
David Cameron says a "universal service obligation" will be introduced, giving the public a legal right to request an "affordable" connection.
Mr Farron says the announcement is “vague and unfunded” though.
He said: “I am delighted to hear the government commit to providing broadband for rural communities. However, it is essential that the government set out in detail how they plan to deliver this. At the moment here in Cumbria there are numerous community broadband projects which have been left up in the air by this announcement. The government needs to provide the detail so they know where they stand.”
He also expressed his disappointment that the government has only committed to providing a minimum broadband speed of 10Mbps in rural areas.
He added: "If the government is going to provide broadband to the most rural areas and to provide the funds to do this, then it should be more ambitious than at present. In the modern day, 10Mbps is simply not fast enough – they should have the same speed as urban areas (24Mbps). By settling for 10Mbps for rural areas, the government is deciding that our communities are second class and don’t deserve the same service as urban areas."