Fujitsu pulls out of Cumbria superfast broadband talks
Last updated at 15:00, Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Communications giant Fujitsu has pulled out of talks to supply Cumbria with a superfast broadband connection, the News & Star has learned.
Related: Cumbria superfast broadband project delayed again
It is almost two years since the Government first announced it was giving a multi-million pound subsidy to Cumbria and three other pilot areas to provide the service.
Fujitsu wrote to the council yesterday withdrawing from the process.
It has blamed infrastructure problems, which it says has forced it to pull out of other projects in Britain.
BT owns much of the infrastructure that would been needed to supply superfast broadband connections.
The county council had been due to consider their improved offers in September. It said only one preferred bidder was still in the running.
Up to £40 million is available in subsidies for the winning company to ensure that superfast broadband reaches every part of Cumbria.
Reacting to Fujitsu's decision, South Lakes MP Tim Farron today called on the Government to step in and run the project directly.
He said: "This is another blow for the broadband project and sadly another self inflicted blow by the county council. This process has been going on for 18 months now and it's appalling that we've not been able to move any further.
"Securing the modern infrastructure our county needs should be one of the council's top priorities.
"I am happy to help the county council engage with the Government, to make sure that we can finally make the progress we all want to see."
First published at 09:48, Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
By all means, Marriman put your link up as to other city councils successfully negotiating with Sustrans
and all means, Bob and anon if you have any evidence to support your assertion that Sustrans ' got scared' as the reason that £1m was pulled from the city last year, lets hear about it. Sustrans was reported in this paper as saying in fairly clear terms that delays on the part of our council was the reason.I do not know who was to blame for the debacle but the explanations coming from Ray Bloxham were fairly feeble and it was all extremely disappointing.I look at Preston with great traffic free cycle routes along the river. I look at Lancaster with a fanatastic cycle path between Caton and Morecambe as well as a brand new cycle link connecting the River Lune Cycle path with the Lancaster Canal path.I look at Carlisle unable to maintain even the few cycle paths that it has or for that matter the Waverley BridgeCarlisle continues to be an embarrassment in terms of off road cycle or even pedestrian access. The Currock Bridge is a case in point. How can this city build a new bypass with no provision to access on the river footpath without climbing over several barbed wire fences.Anyway enough ranting - was not this article about broadband provision? Sadly we cannot get that right either.View all 28 comments on this article
Have your say
This among other Government BDUK projects is turning into a very slow but sure farce. BDUK have spent millions on administration and so will Local Authorities.
The UK Government have not lost their grip on superfast broadband because they have never had one in the first place. But nonetheless support wasted millions on paper shuffling when networks could be delivered. Another survey anyone?Posted by Tavistock Superfast Broadband on 14 July 2012 at 11:02