Giving BT £24m for Cumbria broadband is ‘nonsense’, says MP

14.07.2012
A Cumbrian MP has slammed the ongoing broadband debacle in the region, saying that there is no way that BT, the last remaining bidder to rollout fibre in the area, should be given the full £24 million funding.

Speaking to Computerworld UK, Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale Tim Farron also expressed dismay at David Cameron's 'Big Society' initiative, claiming that it was stifling action in Cumbria.

This news comes as that Fujitsu has pulled out of the Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) bidding process to secure funding from Cumbria County Council to deploy fibre in the area, leaving BT as the last remaining supplier.

The Conservative-led council was allocated £24 million over a year ago to get broadband into rural areas, but after a drawn out procurement process it recently rejected both BT and Fujitsu's bids for the project, effectively sending them back the drawing board. This has now resulted in Fujitsu pulling out altogether.

"I don't think that Cumbria Council has done the wrong thing by playing hard to get with large multinationals - there is a great fear that they will have rings run around them by these huge outfits," said Farron.

"Having said that, they have been awarded over £24 million and they haven't spent a penny of it yet. That's a bit pathetic."