Better broadband for rural areas ‘a priority’ says Derry MLA Ciara Ferguson

She said: “Sinn Féin is committed to ensuring that people and businesses in rural areas have decent broadband and that they aren’t getting ripped off on broadband prices.

“It is also important that broadband providers are held accountable for delivering broadband to premises deemed to be commercially viable quickly.”

According to the Department for the Economy Project Stratum was ‘developed to improve connectivity for premises unable to access broadband services of 30 Megabits per second or greater, primarily across rural areas of NI. The project is managed by DfE, with public funding of £150m originally allocated as a result of the Confidence and Supply agreement between the DUP and the Conservative Government, along with additional funding of £15m secured through the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).”

Ms. Ferguson said: “A recent Audit Office report on Project Stratum stated that while there are positives on the roll out of the scheme, there are also concerns in proving that the project is value for money. With almost £200 million of public money going to Project Stratum, its roll out must be scrutinised to ensure that it achieves its objectives and gets to as many homes and businesses as possible.”