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York council mulling universal super-fast broadband
Fibre optic broadband could be deployed to every home and business in York.
The local authority has recently installed a dark fibre optic broadband network connecting more than 100 public buildings, including schools, council offices and libraries.
According to the York Press, the administration is now holding talks with internet service providers to discuss the prospect of delivering city-wide access to next-generation broadband services.
If the proposals come to fruition, all 90,000 households in York will be hooked up to the super-fast broadband network, along with commercial premises.
Customers who take advantage of the new high-speed connectivity will be able to access the internet and download at rates that are as much as ten times faster than the city's current average broadband capability, which stands at around 8Mbps.
Roy Grant, head of ICT at the council, said the measure would make it far easier to attract more businesses to the city.
The proposals would also offer a boost to the science and technology industries, which employ more than 35,000 people across North Yorkshire.
Figures published by Ofcom earlier this year showed 59 per cent of properties in York are in areas covered by a super-fast broadband network, while total broadband take-up - excluding fibre-based connections - stands at 70 per cent.
Some 13.5 per cent of homes across the city are stuck with speeds of less than 2Mbps.
As well as aiming to improve fibre broadband provision, the council is encouraging residents to take part in Get Online Week, which runs until Sunday (November 6th 2011).
The campaign aims to persuade people to use the extra hour gained by the clocks going back to help friends or relatives browse the web for the first time.
Sonja Crisp, cabinet member for leisure, culture and social inclusion, said: "The internet is an essential tool in everyone's daily lives, so I encourage as many people as possible to take advantage of these events."