Broadband Support Scheme extended by WAG

Monday, July 4th 2011
Properties in Wales that currently receive download speeds of less than 2Mbps will be able to apply for government funding.
Broadband Support Scheme extended by WAG
An initiative to bring broadband access to parts of Wales suffering from slow connection speeds is set to be extended, the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) has said.

Under the Broadband Support Scheme (BSS), homes and businesses that are unable to download at faster than 512Kbps can apply for up to £1,000 in public funding to improve their capabilities.

However, the new announcement will open up the BSS to properties that currently receive speeds of less than 2Mbps.

Between last July and this June, some 800 applications have been approved as part of the scheme, which has been allocated a total of £2 million by the WAG.

According to the administration, the initiative is part of the Regional Innovative Broadband Support plan - a project that has already benefited around 8,500 premises across Wales.

Confirming the government's proposals, business minister Edwina Hart highlighted the importance of giving a boost to the country's internet infrastructure.

"It is vital that everyone across Wales has access to basic broadband. That is why we launched the BSS - to help households and businesses in Wales get broadband access regardless of where they live," she was quoted by the Western Mail as saying.

The news comes just days after the WAG defended its track record on super-fast broadband after critics argued the administration's plans are behind Northern Ireland and Cornwall, the poorest county in England.

Up to 90 per cent of properties in Cornwall will get access to fibre optic broadband by 2014 thanks to a tie-up between BT and the county council.

Despite this, a spokeswoman from the WAG insisted the government has a "strong" tradition of investing to increase the take-up of broadband in Wales.

The BSS is "addressing basic connectivity issues for individuals and entire communities", she insisted, adding work is already underway to boost the speeds available to every home and business in Wales by 2015.

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