Politicians from across Norfolk have lent their support to a project that aims to deliver super-fast broadband connectivity across the county.

At present, more than 50,000 commercial and residential properties are located in broadband notspots, meaning they are either stuck with non-existent access or slow speeds of less than 2Mbps.

However, under Norfolk County Council's infrastructure strategy, super-fast broadband with download capabilities of more than 30Mbps will be rolled out to a large part of the area that is unlikely to benefit from private sector deployments, while remaining homes and businesses will be connected to minimum 2Mbps speeds.

South West Norfolk MP Elizabeth Truss told the Eastern Daily Press she has used her constituency surgery to encourage people to get behind the Say Yes to Better Broadband campaign, which aims to determine levels of demand for the technology in Norfolk.

The Swaffham Business Forum has also given its backing to the project, she revealed.

Furthermore, Ms Truss said she is writing to all parish councils in her constituency, encouraging them to drum up further support for the initiative.

"I get a lot of complaints from constituents about being in notspots or not getting fast enough broadband. This is their time to do something about it," she added.

John Fuller, leader of South Norfolk Council, insisted all the rural districts in the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership are "absolutely committed" to ensuring the county does everything it can to develop and encourage new businesses.

Consequently, he said the faster broadband campaign "is key to delivering that, not just for business but for our community".

Support has also come from North Norfolk District Council chief Helen Eales, who stated broadband connectivity is "vital" for the north of the county.

"As a district council we really wanted to join with all our partners in trying to get as much fast broadband as we can," she added.

Add a comment

Comment

Your name

Your e-mail address

Comments (0)