Sir,

I was pleased to read the Observer's coverage of the campaign to bring Broadband to Tenby.

I would urge people to support this campaign (and not to forget Saundersfoot, which has a separate exchange).

Local people can register their support for Broadband in Saundersfoot (and any other local village) at http://www.btopenworld.com/votebroadband">www.btopenworld.com/votebroadband

Registration does not in any way commit people to buying Broadband services, it is simply our way of making BT aware that the people of Saundersfoot want this service to be available now!

Local commerce is already suffering from lack of this key technology. It was announced last week that 70 jobs could potentially be lost in Pembrokeshire because a prospective employer cannot find suitable premises with Broadband. The lack of Broadband is also making it difficult for other local businesses to compete.

For example, designers and other media professionals in the area are being asked to send large artwork files electronically to printers and customers. This requires Broadband. Without it, they will lose contracts, and may be forced to move away, taking vital wealth and skills out of Saundersfoot and Tenby.

Broadband would help local businesses to sell more goods via e-commerce, helping to generate year-round incomes. It would also enable home workers to bring highly valuable business skills and incomes to the area. If we miss the Broadband boat, the net result will be fewer jobs, less commercial diversity and reduced local wealth.

And it's not just the business sector that is suffering from a lack of Broadband. Digital TV is expanding all the time. A huge diversity of music, video and film are now being put online (for example, the BBC is making its archive available in this way). Without Broadband, local people will be denied access to a vast wealth of resources and entertainment.

The education sector is also increasingly relying on Broadband to deliver content online. Without it, local students of all ages, will receive a second rate service, and will simply be denied access to some distance learning courses.

I have contacted our local MP regarding this matter, suggesting that Pembrokeshire County Council should get together with BT and the various funding bodies to try and find an innovative way to bypass BT's current Broadband registration lottery and upgrade every exchange in the county.

In the meantime, it is essential that everyone with Internet access in Tenby and Saundersfoot, registers their interest on the BT website (see above) helping to put Saundersfoot and Tenby on the Broadband map. BT will then upgrade the local exchanges, and we will guarantee that this essential technology is provided in the future.

Roger Coombs,

Leafstream Electronic

Publishing,

Oakhill Drive,

Saundersfoot.