THE LEADER of Bridport's chamber of commerce has called on rural access to fast broadband to be made a priority.

Richard Smith is president of Bridport Business Chamber and owner of communications provider OS Telecom.

The government said they will give everyone in the country a guaranteed broadband speed of at least 10Mbps, no matter where in the country they work or live.

Mr Smith welcomed the pledge, but called for a 'proper investment plan' to help technology move forward.

He said: "A commitment to provide faster broadband is good news indeed, however the issue goes far beyond a simple pledge as the majority of Bridport does have access to these speeds already now.

"The problem is the speed at which these programs are being delivered and unless this problem of rural connectivity is made a priority all that will happen is that the 10Mb minimum won't be enough to cope with the new demands required.

"It is time that a proper investment plan is developed to look at a final replacement to the copper network that is holding back the technological advancement of the nation."

The Wessex branch of Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said it was pleased to see the government commit to a 'fit-for-purpose' broadband, available to all businesses by 2020.

Neil Eames, development manager for Wessex FSB, said: “Our members will be encouraged by this government pledge to give businesses across the country guaranteed access to a fit-for-purpose broadband connection.

"The FSB has long called for a Universal Service Obligation of 10Mbps and is pleased to see the government setting this as a minimum broadband speed.

“Recent FSB research found that 99 per cent of small firms rate the internet as highly important to their business. But our members say the service they get often falls short of what they need or have been told to expect. Giving all businesses the opportunity for better broadband access should create more jobs and provide a boost to productivity.

“We now want to understand how this commitment will be funded and delivered."