THE second phase of a campaign to bring super-fast broadband to North Dorset has begun by placing the district’s need for high-speed internet infrastructure before Parliament.

Campaigners bidding to bring fibre technology to the north of the county received a boost when executives from some of the biggest players in the communications sector travelled to Blandford to hear the community leaders spell out the economic case for improved digital infrastructure.

Yesterday the district’s MP added his name to a Parliamentary motion demanding that the government honour its pledge to provide everyone in the UK with a minimum of 2 Mbps by 2015.

Some 60 people from communications companies, councils, and community groups packed into Blandford’s parish rooms last Friday to hear the findings of a comprehensive report.

Steve Adamson, of Blandford’s DT11 Forum, who has spearheaded CPEND’s campaign, said he was delighted with the turnout.

He said: “We believe that this meeting marks the start of the second phase in our efforts to improve broadband in North Dorset and demonstrates that industry now recognises the need to engage in finding solutions in the tough areas, like North Dorset.”

North Dorset MP Bob Walter said delegates had left the meeting with the message that doing nothing was not an option.

“With neighbouring areas of Dorset like Bournemouth getting fibre cable laid and offering speeds of up to 100mbp already, rural areas run the very real risk of a migration of local businesses out – that would be devastating,” he said.

“We also don’t want to spend the next 20 years running to stand still in technology terms.”

Delegates heard from the Dorset Public Sector Network (DPSN) project team, whose funding bid to Broadband Delivery UK – the body responsible for the government’s £830 million broadband strategy – was submitted in April.