Mayor’s High Tech ‘Train Wreck’
Andrew Dismore, London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden, accused Mayor Boris Johnson of presiding over a ‘train wreck’ of a high tech policy at Mayor’s Question Time on 19th March.
Mr Dismore revealed figures that show when the roll out of high speed broadband is completed in just a few weeks’ time only 85% of London will be covered, and of the areas that are covered, over half are failing to reach even 2/3rds of the speeds set out in the Government’s target.
Mr Dismore said:
“This is a serious issue, and the Mayor was utterly complacent in his replies. In the EC postcode of Camden for example, 11676 connections are below target speed, and 7174 have no access to high-speed broadband at all. In N postcode areas, it is even worse with 136,827 connections too slow and 9,894 not connected at all. (see chart below).
The Mayor has let BT off the hook. BT have completely failed to respond to reasonable questions about roll out. BT decides what is uneconomic to provide. They decide if there is enough demand to justify access. They decide if it is technically too difficult. No wonder their BT Openreach roll out company made £5 billion in revenue last year.
Broadband is the 4th utility after water gas and electricity. If Boris Johnson had been the Mayor when electricity became available, London would still be lit by gas light. It is ridiculous that London is now the 6th worst connected capital city in Europe. Even the UN classes internet access as a basic human right.
The Mayor needs to take this issue seriously. It is real barrier to business development in London. It prevents businesses from starting up or expanding. It prevents people being able to work from home. In interferes with school students’ ability to do their research. Yet instead of seeking a clear plan of how he can use his powers to bring London up to the government’s target broadband speeds and full coverage , the Mayor has yet again come out with more broadbush waffle and no answers. Whilst the Mayor may find it easier for himself to do nothing, he is creating a digital divide that creates dial up districts in parts of the capital unable to compete with superfast Shoreditch – creating economic opportunity and growth for a few rather than the many.
The Mayor should be holding BT to account. He should demand that they use some of this £5 billion income to connect up more people and businesses. He should set up an independent panel to review BT claims that particular areas are uneconomic or too hard to connect and he should start a digital map of London to identify the digital black holes, and what he must do to ensure they are filled. Not one of his suggestions will create an extra millimetre of infrastructure connectivity. His complacency is shameful and London and Londoners will lose out as result of his inactivity.”
| Connections below target speed of 24mbps | Connections without access to high speed broadband at all | |
| EC (Camden) | 11676 | 7174 |
| WC (Camden) | 7585 | 2345 |
| NW (Camden and Barnet) | 103991 | 14089 |
| N (Camden and Barnet) | 136827 | 9894 |
| EN (Barnet) | 56257 | 3960 |
| HA (Barnet) | 87553 | 5042 |
Link to MQT recording:
http://www.london.gov.uk/webcasts/36277/asx
Broadband question – 2 hours 30 mins in.
