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Herefordshire Council planning £6m broadband investment
Some £6 million of Herefordshire Council's 2012-13 budget could be allocated to a major broadband project.
The proposal, which will be voted on by all county councillors at a meeting in early February, will match the funding previously awarded to Herefordshire by the government as part of the Borders Broadband initiative.
A partnership between Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, the project aims to deliver universal speeds of 2Mbps to both counties by 2015, with super-fast broadband set to be available to 100 per cent of homes and businesses by 2018.
Work will first be completed in the southern areas of Herefordshire and the Forest of Dean as one of the first Broadband Delivery UK national pilot schemes, along with Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Scotland's Highlands and Islands.
Councillor Graham Powell, broadband champion for Herefordshire, described the plan as an investment in the county's long-term future.
"Broadband is the 21st century utility that has the ability to improve many facets of our everyday life and businesses need fast broadband to access global markets and global suppliers," he said.
"It is not acceptable for those who live in our rural communities to be left behind."
Herefordshire Council is currently urging residents to complete an online survey to determine existing levels of demand for faster internet access across the county, with the results set to be used to attract potential private-sector investors.
Mr Powell described the questionnaires as "crucial" to the future of super-fast broadband in Herefordshire and called for every household and business to complete them.
Even though government funding for the project has been secured, the broadband champion stressed that private-sector backing will be essential to achieving its goals.
More than 70 broadband champions have been recruited in Herefordshire to raise awareness of the benefits offered by the technology.