The announcement that BT has identified Hemel Hempstead as one of the first of just 29 telephone exchanges across the UK to lead the roll-out of faster broadband technology is good for the local area, says Dr Richard Grayson, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Hemel.
Dr Grayson said: "The way we work has already been transformed by the internet and broadband technology. They are allowing more home-working and greater flexibility in hours, which can help people juggle work with family commitments. They have also boosted to small and micro-businesses.
"Unfortunately, Britain has been drifting into the slow lane of broadband. It is available widely, but often only at speeds much slower than in many other countries.
"The deployment in Hemel of fibre-optic cable from the exchange to the green street cabinets will mean a big increase in broadband speeds for many residents of Hemel.
"A challenge now is to make sure that the villages and rural areas around Hemel benefit. But this announcement is certainly good news for Hemel and for West Herts more generally, because Watford and St Albans have also been picked in the first 29 exchanges."
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