Ed Vaizey urges south-west to take advantage of superfast broadband

Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, has urged residences and businesses in the south-west of England to take advantage of the benefits of superfast fibre optic broadband.

The Cabinet Minister made these comments during a visit to Monk's Yard in Ilminster, where he met with members of the Connecting Devon and Somerset regional broadband rollout programme.

As part of his visit, Mr Vaizey attended one of the scheme's Get Up to Speed workshops, which are designed to educate local businesses and communities about the many benefits of superfast fibre broadband.

The workshops are set to run in the Wellington, Okehampton and Holsworthy areas and will cover a variety of topics, such as how firms can use faster internet connections to improve their online marketing strategies.

Mr Vaizey said: "Business and community support programmes like Get Up to Speed are tremendously important in helping businesses to develop and enabling rural economies to grow."

The Minister's visit coincided with the announcement that the Connecting Devon and Somerset is extending its rollout programme to reach a further 12 communities throughout the south-west.