AFTER years of frustration trying to bring broadband services to more remote areas of the countryside - caused mainly by poor BT telephone coverage - rural businessman have decided to reach for the sky.

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has signed up with Eurosat to help provide the missing broadband links via satellite, leaving BT – which last week announced the biggest trading loss in its history – out of the loop.

Effective broadband is now a vital service for all
areas

Douglas Chalmers - CLA

The CLA has been campaigning for five years to get total broadband coverage but despite Government promises to ensure that every home in England is linked to the service, hundreds out out-of-way farms and businesses are still unable to connect.

The decision to team up with Eurosat to provide members with the new service - CLA Rural Broadband - was prompted by many calls from people in rural areas frustrated at not being able to benefit from a fast internet connection which, says the organisation, is no longer a luxury but a necessity.

Douglas Chalmers, Director CLA North said: “We accept that this is a short-term fix for a long-term problem, but it does offer an immediate solution for many of those who we know cannot wait for the benefits that broadband enablement brings.

“As we have said consistently, unless Government is prepared to invest, rural businesses will continue to lose out to their urban rivals, houses will remain unsold and premises empty and children will be unable to enjoy the educational benefits of their classmates.

“Effective broadband is now a vital service for all areas, and its absence could actually sound the death knell for some rural communities where it could actually bring the most benefits by enabling low-impact, added-value enterprise. We are of course aware of many different solutions, but we have tested this system ourselves and are happy that it provides a reliable service at a competitive price.”

• To find out more about CLA Rural Broadband, CLA members should contact Mike Locke, CLA Rural Broadband, on 020 8452 6699. Non-members should contact the North Regional Office on 015395 67597 to find out more.