Harriett Baldwin has today announced that she has won additional upgrades for broadband users in Malvern. The MP has been lobbying BT for more than 18 months to upgrade connections across Malvern including working with BT and the Conservators to secure a solution to the impasse over upgrading cabinets on Conservators’ land. Harriett has also pressed BT to find solutions to allow the upgrade of connections to Enigma Business Park and is working with the company to secure wider access to superfast broadband for the whole community. Harriett also announced this week that European blocks on spending £3.3 million of taxpayer’s money on rural broadband schemes may soon be cleared. The Department for Culture Media and Sport has issued a statement to Harriett confirming that a solution will shortly be announced by the European Commission allowing BT to work with the County Council on a county-wide upgrade solution. More than £10 million is now available to spend on projects to make sure that every home in the county is able to access much faster broadband speeds. Harriett commented: “The health of the West Worcestershire economy is increasingly linked to the speed of our access to the internet. So much business is now done on line and it enables constituents to communicate all around the world.” “I am please that BT is now looking to help our businesses to access the same speeds as more than 15,000 residential customers in Malvern.” “We must do all we can to make sure that West Worcestershire is as competitive as possible in the global marketplace and fast broadband is essential. “Taxpayer money has been allocated to complete this upgrade project and the County Council is working on a comprehensive broadband plan to reach the parts commercial providers won’t reach.”