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02
Jul 2023
Masham councillor to hold public meeting on poor rural broadband
A Masham councillor is to host a public meeting to address broadband problems in rural areas of the district.
Liberal Democrat councillor for Masham and Fountains, Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, said she has worked closely with North Yorkshire Council to improve broadband around Ripon and Masham but many households and businesses still have slow connectivity.
CityFibre spent £46m in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon last year but, despite this investment, many people in rural areas cannot get a superfast broadband connection.
The final phase of delivery from North Yorkshire Council-owned NYnet is due to end imminently. This means many rural residents and businesses who are still waiting for superfast broadband connection will be left without any solutions.
The persistent issues have lead Cllr Cunliffe-Lister to arrange the public meeting.
The council's director of transformation, Robert Ling, will discuss how the final NYnet phase will be delivered, budget constraints, and whether any other funding options may be available to those who are not going to be connected.
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Project Gigabit, a £5 billion Government scheme aiming to implement superfast broadband into “hard-to-reach” communities, will also be discussed.
The scheme is yet to come to North Yorkshire but the councillor hopes “it might provide connection to those otherwise left behind at some point.”
Cllr Cunliffe-Lister said:
All members of the Masham and Fountains ward are welcome to attend. The meeting will take place in Masham Town Hall at 6.30pm, on Wednesday, July 19.
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