A Cornish MP is urging BT to continue its commitment to the Goonhilly Earth Satellite Station on the Lizard.
Lib Dem MP Andrew George wants the site to contribute to the economic
generation of the area by making the facilities available to local firms.
Goonhilly has nearly 3,000sq metres of accommodation to rent and further
buildings available for storage.
In September, BT announced plans to scale down its operations at the site -
possibly making 90 staff redundant.
An internal BT report says the move to its Madeley site in Herefordshire would
help the firm centralise and remain competitive.
"Naturally, I would prefer it if BT reversed its proposal to withdraw jobs from
Goonhilly and to build up their operations on this historically important site,
thus benefiting the economy of a significantly poorer region than the one they
will now concentrate on," said Mr George.
"I have made it clear to BT that although I object to their decision to move
jobs from Cornwall, I am prepared to work with them to ensure the economic and
job creation potential of the site is maximised for the benefit of West
Cornwall."
Mr George said many companies could benefit from the equipment at the site,
including the university.
His comments were made after a meeting with BT's regional manager, Lizzey
Beesley, and the Goonhilly director of technology and surfaces Des Prouse.
Goonhilly currently handles about 10 million telephone calls a week as well as
computer data from the Atlantic and Indian Ocean areas, but its TV operations
have been wound down over the years.
A decision is expected to be confirmed by BT executives later this year, with
satellite communications ending by 2008.