The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Lincolnshire is getting a £2.35million share of £250million of Government funding to bring better broadband to the hardest to reach places.
The county council has been awarded £2.35million from the national Superfast Extension Programme, which was unveiled by Culture Secretary Maria Miller. This will be matched by the council, which has already set aside £1.8million for additional broadband improvements.
The money will help the authority extend superfast broadband coverage to at least 95 per cent of the county, building on commercial roll-out and the ongoing work of the onlincolnshire project.
Welcoming the new funding, Councillor Richard Davies, Executive Member for IT, said: “Since signing our agreement with BT a year ago, we’ve already managed to bring access to superfast broadband to more than 6,400 homes and that number will increase rapidly.
“Without our intervention, it’s unlikely they would have had the opportunity to sign up for services and enjoy everything superfast speeds bring.
“Now, thanks to this new funding, we’ll be able to help thousands more join the online revolution.
“We now need to look at how we use this money to reach the greatest number of people.”
Over the coming months, the council will be inviting suppliers to bid for a contract to extend the county’s superfast coverage.
In its first year, the onlincolnshire project has already rolled out superfast broadband to 30 cabinets in parts of Spalding, Holbeach, Gosberton, Donington, Moulton and Lincoln.
In addition, the council has worked with Lincoln-firm AB Internet to offer better speeds to approximately 12,000 homes in the coastal areas of East Lindsey and Boston and Fens through wireless technology.
