FAILING superfast broadband agency Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) suffered a further blow on Thursday (October 31) when it agreed to scale back an agreement with the second of three original contactors.

Airband UK said it could no longer fully deliver its contract to connect hi-speed broadband services to more than 55,000 properties in rural areas including West Somerset, Exmoor, and around Wellington.

The news comes in a week when Wellington MP Gideon Amos raised in Parliament his ‘serious concerns’ about a catalogue of failures by CDS and was promised a Ministerial meeting.

In 2022, CDS terminated a contract with Truespeed after it failed to deliver key contractual commitments.

Now, Airband, which has four contracts with CDS due to end by December 31, has admitted it only managed to connect fewer than 19,000 premises in the past four years.

A CDS spokesperson said: “Both CDS and Airband remain committed to finding possible alternative delivery solutions for those communities who were due to receive fibre broadband.

“Following Airband’s restructure earlier this year, the company is seeking to maximise take up across its existing network while slowing down on build activity, which means it can no longer complete its contracted build for CDS in full.”

It has now also been revealed that secret negotiations between CDS and Airband had been ongoing since April to change the company’s contract, which has resulted in agreement for only another 8,377 homes and businesses to be connected making a total of less than half its original promise.

The spokesperson said: “CDS is also discussing alternative options with BDUK, the Government’s national agency responsible for the delivery of Gigabit Broadband.”

Somerset Council executive Cllr Mike Rigby, who is a CDS board member, said: “There is no escaping the fact these are not easy times for the industry, as many alternative network providers have slowed their build.

“If it was easy and profitable to build fibre broadband networks in rural areas, it would have been done commercially by now.

“For those not included in Airband’s ongoing delivery, CDS will do everything it can to help communities get a connection as we know how vital it is for rural communities to have decent broadband.

“We want to work with BDUK and the new Government to help provide alternative solutions to deliver to hard-to-reach areas that are now not going to be delivered through this contract with Airband.”

Airband managing director Kash Rahman said: “We have 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.

“We have worked hard to deliver against engineering challenges.”

Devon County Council cabinet Cllr Rufus Gilbert, also on the CDS board, said: “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.”