Another £5million to get Suffolk out of the broadband slow lane
Tuesday, 25th February 2014.
Suffolk has been awarded almost £5million of additional Government funding to help make high speed fibre broadband available to the hardest-to-reach communities.
The announcement means that the Better Broadband for Suffolk programme, currently working to make superfast speeds (24 megabits per second or more) available to 85 per cent of the county, can start working towards a higher target of up to 95 per cent. All properties in Suffolk have been promised speeds of at least 2 megabits per second.
The funding comes from the Government’s Superfast Extension Programme – designed to give 95 per cent of the UK access to superfast broadband by 2017. Suffolk has been allocated £4.82 million.
Welcoming the news, Suffolk County Council leader and chair of the Better Broadband for Suffolk programme, Cllr Mark Bee, said: “This additional funding is excellent news and means we can start work on significantly extending the commitments we have made under the current Better Broadband for Suffolk programme.
“In particular, we’re going to be able to make high speed broadband available to more of Suffolk’s hardest to reach rural communities.
“We’re only half a year into the delivery of the Better Broadband for Suffolk programme and we’re already looking at how we can take it to the next level.
“Our current commitment to making superfast speeds available to 85 per cent of Suffolk homes and businesses is only the beginning. We want to push forward so that even more people are able to benefit.
“I’m looking forward to this additional work getting underway and the day that slow, or non-existent, internet speeds are a thing of the past in Suffolk.”
In January 2014, Suffolk County Council announced that it was inviting potential suppliers to discuss how they could deliver the additional work.
A ‘mini-competition’ - separate from the current Better Broadband for Suffolk contract with BT – is now underway to identify a suitable supplier.
As part of the new tendering process, the council is conducting a review of the open market to establish what broadband coverage commercial providers are planning to deliver.
Following consultation, this information will be used to define the areas where the additional public funding can be invested.
Officials aim to complete the tendering process by the summer of 2014, and for works to start by the end of 2014 - in parallel with the on-going Better Broadband for Suffolk programme.
Announcing the funding, culture secretary, Maria Miller MP, said: “Superfast Broadband will benefit everyone in Suffolk - whether they need it for work, to do homework or simply to download music or films.
"Thousands of homes and businesses now have access and it is helping people with their everyday tasks.
"We want to make sure that Britain is one of the best countries in the world for broadband, and the extra £250 million we are investing will help ensure communities around the UK are not left behind in the digital slow lane.”
The announcement means that the Better Broadband for Suffolk programme, currently working to make superfast speeds (24 megabits per second or more) available to 85 per cent of the county, can start working towards a higher target of up to 95 per cent. All properties in Suffolk have been promised speeds of at least 2 megabits per second.
The funding comes from the Government’s Superfast Extension Programme – designed to give 95 per cent of the UK access to superfast broadband by 2017. Suffolk has been allocated £4.82 million.
Welcoming the news, Suffolk County Council leader and chair of the Better Broadband for Suffolk programme, Cllr Mark Bee, said: “This additional funding is excellent news and means we can start work on significantly extending the commitments we have made under the current Better Broadband for Suffolk programme.
“In particular, we’re going to be able to make high speed broadband available to more of Suffolk’s hardest to reach rural communities.
“We’re only half a year into the delivery of the Better Broadband for Suffolk programme and we’re already looking at how we can take it to the next level.
“Our current commitment to making superfast speeds available to 85 per cent of Suffolk homes and businesses is only the beginning. We want to push forward so that even more people are able to benefit.
“I’m looking forward to this additional work getting underway and the day that slow, or non-existent, internet speeds are a thing of the past in Suffolk.”
In January 2014, Suffolk County Council announced that it was inviting potential suppliers to discuss how they could deliver the additional work.
A ‘mini-competition’ - separate from the current Better Broadband for Suffolk contract with BT – is now underway to identify a suitable supplier.
As part of the new tendering process, the council is conducting a review of the open market to establish what broadband coverage commercial providers are planning to deliver.
Following consultation, this information will be used to define the areas where the additional public funding can be invested.
Officials aim to complete the tendering process by the summer of 2014, and for works to start by the end of 2014 - in parallel with the on-going Better Broadband for Suffolk programme.
Announcing the funding, culture secretary, Maria Miller MP, said: “Superfast Broadband will benefit everyone in Suffolk - whether they need it for work, to do homework or simply to download music or films.
"Thousands of homes and businesses now have access and it is helping people with their everyday tasks.
"We want to make sure that Britain is one of the best countries in the world for broadband, and the extra £250 million we are investing will help ensure communities around the UK are not left behind in the digital slow lane.”
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