Already Bradford on Tone near Taunton is benefitting from high speed broadband and Bishops Lydeard, Creech St Michael, Henlade and Monkton Heathfield are next in line with service likely to be available from December 13th.  The fibre-enabled service in the Wellington, Milverton and  Hemyock  areas is planned to be available from March 2014.

Areas including the Wiveliscombe exchange, Lydeard St Lawrence, Sampford Peverell and Kingston St Mary are currently in the planning and surveying stage.

Bringing superfast broadband into these areas is  very welcome and an initiative positively supported by this Government.   It will help us to run our businesses more successfully, to develop new opportunities and to work flexibly.  It will be particularly important in rural areas like my own near Taunton.  The drive to get Somerset and Devon fully connected through CDS, or Connecting Devon and Somerset, has been funded by Central Government, Conservative run Somerset County Council and Devon County Council with backup from local councils like Conservative run Taunton Deane.  CDS aims to deliver the superfast system to over 700,000 residents and 26,000 businesses in the West by 2016 and is on target to do this.  

Picture: Rebecca Pow with John Williams, Leader of Conservative run Taunton Deane District Council with one of the new cabinets which will soon become a common feature everywhere in the constituency. (credit: Alain Lockyer)