Somerset Refute Ofcom Claims

Contrary to an Ofcom report, broadband speeds in Somerset are improving, a Councillor has said.

19:43 02 May 2018

Somerset Councillor David Hall refutes an Ofcom report claiming that broadband speeds across Somerset are some of the lowest in the UK.

 

According to Somerset County Council, 80per cent of their residents now have access to speeds in excess of 30Mbps. The number is expected to reach more than 95per cent by 2020.

 

It emerged that the cause of the misunderstanding is the method used to measure the data – the mean (which is an average of all the values) or the median (which takes the middle point as an average).

 

Councillor Hall, cabinet member for economic resources and development, said: "Average [mean] speeds are the best measure of the performance that residents are receiving, and by the end of 2017 the average speed across the county was in excess of 30Mbps.

 

"Ofcom’s figures measure only the speeds that a resident has ordered – not what is available to them.

 

"Around 87 per cent of premises in the county have access to speeds of 30Mbps or faster, including 85 per cent in West Somerset.

 

"Given that broadband provision in the county was among the lowest in the country when the Connecting Devon and Somerset programme began, this reflects significant progress."