South Gloucestershire Council calls on users to participate in broadband survey

Regulators and government organisations often conduct surveys to assess what the people in their constituent areas want. Take, for example, broadband surveys. When it comes to Internet services, it’s hard to generalise as a whole what the users want. The problems encountered by users located in different areas will obviously vary, as will their preferences when it comes to broadband upgrades and services.

The EU recently posted an announcement seeking Irish users for their broadband survey. The goal was to find out what the current state of Ireland’s broadband connections was from the responses of 1,500 respondents. The commission’s digital agenda commissioner Neelie Kroes expressed her support for the survey, saying: “Everyone in the EU should be able to enjoy the benefits of an open and lawful Internet, without hidden restrictions or slower speeds than they have been promised. We need to collect first-hand information from European consumers on the actual quality of their broadband access. With that data, we can easily see which countries have been most successful and which countries are falling behind, enabling us to direct support and investment most appropriately.”

The officers from the South Gloucestershire Council are also planning to conduct their own survey on broadband. The council is calling on users in South Gloucestershire to show their support by participating in the survey.

The questionnaire will be designed to obtain information with regards to the demand for high-speed broadband connections in the area. The findings from the survey will be used to encourage service providers to invest and upgrade the local broadband network infrastructure.

John Goddard, the council’s executive member for corporate affairs, stated: “Ensuring our residents and businesses have access to a fast, reliable and affordable broadband service is a priority for South Gloucestershire Council. Better broadband provision will allow local businesses to prosper and will improve the quality of life for residents. This is a complex project involving a wide number of partners and council officers have already carried out a great deal of preparatory work on South Gloucestershire’s bid for funding during the last year.”

He added: ”The more businesses and local people that take part in the survey, the stronger the case for investment and the more attractive the contract will be for potential commercial suppliers. I urge everyone with a desire for faster broadband to make their wishes known.”

Interested parties can access the survey on the council website at southglos.gov.uk/broadband.

Source – Gazette Series