Comment: Chichester’s digital desert

Given the constant discourse surrounding artificial intelligence, which will fundamentally alter the society we live in, you would be forgiven for believing that the basic technological infrastructure to support it would already be in place across the country. However, in Chichester, this is far from the truth.

Mobile connectivity has become something of an inside joke for those who shop, run businesses or work in the centre of Chichester. The lack of signal disrupts trade and daily life alike, frustrating the many people who spend time there. It is holding back our high streets and undermining growth across the area. It has been one of the key issues raised by residents since my election and a source of great frustration to me as well. They all pointed to failing infrastructure, masts obscured by vegetation, dead spots with no coverage, and a need for greater investment. 

Many people experience poor mobile connectivity in Chichester city centre

Over the last year, I've met with all the major mobile network providers to better understand the issues underpinning the poor connectivity that so many people experience. They cite capacity issues in the network and a need for further investment in infrastructure. It's why I welcome the improvements being made as part of West Sussex County Council's Chichester Public Realm Improvement Scheme. New mobile network infrastructure will be installed to support 4G services for multiple operators, with additional capacity to accommodate future technologies. Fibre broadband ducting will also be installed as part of these works, with the aim of enhancing digital connectivity throughout the city centre.

I hope these improvements will begin to transform the experience of everyone making the most of our city centre. However, I will continue to bang the drum on this issue. This week, I've written to local businesses to ask about their experiences of connectivity problems and will continue to use their feedback as evidence in discussions with providers and the Government. I've also invited residents to complete my survey to share their feedback on poor connectivity.

Beyond the city centre, broadband provision and digital exclusion remain real challenges. We should be ensuring that people and properties, particularly in our rural communities, are not being left behind, especially in this new technological age.

That is why I was furious to hear about the descoping of Project Gigabit, which aimed to upgrade broadband connectivity for households across the country. In Chichester, this affects 4,650 premises, all of which have now been removed from the CityFibre contract for upgrade. This is completely unfair to the households and businesses that had been promised a much-needed upgrade and are now being left in the dark.

The new Prime Minister talks about delivering growth in every postcode, but that will only happen if communities have the infrastructure to support it. For residents in Chichester, it will feel as though they are being completely ignored in this regard. That must change, and I will continue to press the Government until it does.