CAMPAIGNERS pushing for improved rural broadband have called the organisation behind the aborted rollout efforts “spectacularly incompetent”.

Publicly funded organisation Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) had hired internet firm Airband to provide fibre broadband to 55,493 homes and businesses, but now it has been confirmed only half will be connected.

Cutbacks at Airband has been blamed for the scaled-back ambitions, with the firm focusing on its existing network rather than building new capacity.

So far, it has connected 18,794 premises and will complete another 8,377, taking it to 27,171 installations – just under half the homes originally planned.

Campaigner Graham Long said he had previously called Connecting Devon and Somerset “incompetent” but now dubbed it “spectacularly incompetent”.

He continued: “By the time the contract ends in September 2027, this will leave 28,322 premises, who up until now, had believed the CDS/Airband contract would connect them to full-fibre.

“But they will now not be connected, leaving them high and dry.”

Mr Long said CDS had rejected an offer from BT in 2015 to deliver the contract, and in 2019 scrapped a contract with Gigaclear after that firm requested more time to complete the work.

And he said in 2023, CDS terminated a contract in North Somerset with a company called Truespeed.

Mr Long said: “If CDS had given Gigaclear the additional time requested in 2019 it is likely that all the rural fibre connections the contract required would be in place by now.

“This is spectacularly incompetent. Were CDS a public company, their shareholders would by now have demanded the chief executive’s resignation.”

CDS said discussions between it, Airband and Building Digital UK to resolve the situation had taken place, adding it was “extremely disappointed.”

Cllr Rufus Gilbert (Conservative, Salcombe), who is a CDS board member as well as Devon County Council cabinet member for economic recovery and skills, said: “Sadly we’re in a position where we have little choice other than to scale back these contracts with Airband.

“The company is unable to fulfil its contractual obligations, which is deeply disappointing for us and the communities that have been waiting for a decent broadband connection.”

Kash Rahman, managing director at Airband, said: “We’ve had to make tough decisions on our build activity this year and we are sorry if this news comes as a disappointment to residents who are left waiting for better connectivity.”

CDS said superfast coverage in Devon and Somerset currently stands at around 93 per cent of premises, according to thinkbroadband.com.

That’s above the 86 per cent average for UK rural areas. Public take up of CDS-funded broadband connections is also above the national average.

Bradley Gerrard