Broadband or bankruptcy: The stark choice of rural business

- It's not just good to talk, it's crucial says CLA -

Findings from rural economy experts, the CLA, portray a countryside where broadband is becoming increasingly unreliable at a time when rural-based businesses need it most.

CLA President, Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, said that rural businesses could not survive without a competitive broadband service, and would either relocate to urban areas or cease to trade. The organisation is now calling for high level talks to level the playing field between rural and urban enterprise.

"The CLA was the only national organisation to campaign for BT to roll out broadband coverage to rural areas. We succeeded - and it is no exaggeration to say that without our pressure, rural areas would not enjoy the levels of broad band coverage they do today. But it has not moved on and our research shows that the broadband service on offer simply does not meet the demands of modern businesses.

"There are still some rural areas that cannot access ADSL broadband – in 2008 that is wholly unacceptable. The digital divide is getting wider and it seems the promises from BT and others are proving as fickle as the technology itself."

The CLA has called on the broadband industry - and BT in particular - to deliver on promises to provide a service which is available to everybody and fit for the 21st century.

"While we kept the issue on the politician's screens and in the media, BT and others were only too happy to talk to us - and even benefited from our campaign. It seems that , now that the fuss has died down, they really have turned their back on rural Britain. They are letting their rural customers down and they must redress this imbalance."

The CLA has found that:

• Businesses are having to pay for the full cost of broadband when sometimes only half - or less - of the advertised connection speed is available;

• Respondents felt that customer service is poor, particularly when the call centre fails to understand the problems involved;

• Communication between Internet Service Providers and their customers remains poor and in some cases, non-existent;

• There is, in practical terms, little genuine competition in the rural market.

• Rural businesses have not been able to piggy-back onto public sector broadband availability despite assurances that this would be the case.

Now the CLA President is calling for a summit of the key players to get broadband Britain back on track.