Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP, Liz Smith, has called on BT Openreach to seriously evaluate the way it delivers services in rural areas following a scathing report from MPs.
Westminster’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee said BT’s underinvestment in its Openreach infrastructure division could amount to hundreds of millions of pounds a year.
The MPs said BT should spend more and give Openreach more freedom over how it spends its money basing their demands on an independent report, published alongside the committee’s report.
BT has faced criticism from Ofcom and rival companies that use its network over lack of investment in high-quality cables and delays in fixing faults.
Earlier this year Ofcom stopped short of recommending that BT be forced to sell off Openreach, as requested by competitors including TalkTalk and Sky. Instead Ofcom told BT to open up its infrastructure and threatened it with big fines if service did not improve.
Commenting Liz Smith MSP said:
“This report must act as a wake-up call for BT to properly invest in the future of its infrastructure partner in order to deliver the level of service customers need and want.
“I meet regularly with broadband providers and many are frustrated at the current organisational structure of internet services in the UK and believe that greater competition could improve services.
“For rural residents in Perth and Kinross, Fife, Stirling and Clackmannanshire, broadband outages and slow connections are not only an inconvenience but seriously inhibit economic growth.
“Better broadband has the potential to improve quality of life and economic opportunities in Mid-Scotland and Fife and BT must make real strides to improve performance for my constituents.”