National broadband experts will visit the county next month to lead a summit on rural broadband. Cumbrian MP Rory Stewart will be the keynote speaker at the event to be held at Wychavon District Council’s HQ on May 10. Rory is a renowned rural broadband champion and has successfully delivered a project to upgrade the internet connections in his rural constituency. Both Rory and Harriett recently met with Culture Secretary Maria Miller to discuss the problems of upgrading difficult-to-reach rural areas, known as the ‘last 10 per cent’. The Government has allocated £3.35m to Worcestershire County Council to help fix this problem and the council has added a further £8.5m to extend the superfast broadband network. The summit will also include presentations from a number of providers who are already offer fast broadband connections to rural communities using a range of alternative technologies. Harriett commented: “Rural broadband is a critical issue for me and many of my constituents. “The County Council is working to identify a plan to roll out broadband improvements across the county. “As West Worcestershire is a large, rural constituency, some villages and properties may not end up being covered by this and will have to look at alternatives. “The purpose of my event is to help to show local rural communities what other options are available right now. “I am also grateful that my colleague, Rory Stewart MP, has agreed to come and share his learning from fixing this problem in his constituency of Penrith and the Borders. “It should be a very useful and informative event, and I hope rural communities will attend and get a full understanding of their options.”