Broadband News

Councils in England make progress on superfast broadband

Friday 27 January, 2012

By Anthony Hill

A third of projects are ready to start delivering fast fibre broadband in their area.

Plans to roll-out superfast broadband are progressing well across England. Communications minister Ed Vaizey has said that most local authorities are now working hard to bring next-generation networks to their communities.

A third of the 47 projects in England are now ready to begin making superfast fibre connections a reality for homes and businesses in their area. The latest four to have their Local Broadband Plan approved are:

• Kent and Medway Councils
• Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin
• Lincolnshire
• Hampshire, City of Portsmouth, City of Southampton

Vaizey also announced this week that European funding of £100million may soon be available to help fund Local Broadband Plans. This is on top of the £530million already being invested by the government.

He said: “Britain needs fast broadband to drive economic growth and connect remote communities. We are making a significant investment in taking broadband to those homes and businesses currently missing out on decent internet access.

“I have been impressed by the enthusiasm the majority of councils have shown for seizing the opportunity to roll-out superfast broadband.”

Each local authority in England has been allocated funds to help give 90% of their homes and businesses access to superfast broadband. Deadlines have been set for councils to complete a Local Broadband Plan to secure their share of the funding.

While a third of English councils are making good progress, there are others which so far have struggled. Vaizey said he will work with these regions to ensure they develop “robust” broadband plans, like the rest of the country. The three areas concerned are:

• Liverpool, Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral
• Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland
• Bath and North East Somerset

Vaizey added: “I am disappointed that a few councils seem to have slipped behind schedule. I will be seeking urgent talks with these councils to ensure they understand the need to make real progress quickly. We do not intend to continue to fund councils if they continue to fail to deliver.”

Earlier this week, culture secretary Jeremy Hunt threatened to scrap the £530million fund currently earmarked for local broadband projects. He warned that funding may be withdrawn unless broadband contracts were signed by the end of this year. Talking to a parliamentary committee on local government, Hunt said he would not tolerate delays, and would “put the fire up everyone’s backsides” to avoid missing the UK’s aim of having the best broadband network in Europe by 2015.

Photo by mira66