Thank you for your interest in this story
To continue reading this article, subscribe to the Stray Ferret for as little as £1 a week
Already a subscriber? Log in here.
23
Dec
Plea to help 11,000 North Yorkshire homes who still can’t get proper broadband
The government has been urged to help 11,000 properties in North Yorkshire that still don’t have access to superfast broadband networks.
The national Project Gigabit programme aims to bring superfast broadband to the hardest to reach premises in the country.
Isolated homes around Masham and Pateley Bridge are most likely to be affected in the Harrogate district.
Last year Councillor Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, the Liberal Democrat representative for Masham and Fountains on North Yorkshire Council, organised a meeting in response to concerns from local people still struggling for a reliable, fast digital connection.
Now Cllr Carl Les, the Conservative leader of North Yorkshire Council, has urged the government to ensure the project helps the estimated 11,000 properties in the county without decent internet connections link to superfast broadband.
Cllr Les, who is also a board member for the NYnet broadband company which is owned by the local authority and has managed the Superfast North Yorkshire programme, said:
A great deal of work has been undertaken in recent years to ensure that there are far better connections for tens of thousands of people in North Yorkshire.
I would urge the government to build on the work that has been already undertaken by ourselves here in the county and make sure that every home and business has access to superfast broadband connections.
We cannot have a technology divide between our urban and rural areas, which means you are disadvantaged simply by where you live for decent access to the internet.
The fourth and final element of the Superfast North Yorkshire project ended this year, with the vast majority of properties in the county now on the superfast broadband network.
The project, which has been overseen by North Yorkshire Council, has been instrumental in addressing the digital divide, with many rural communities previously unable to access superfast broadband connections that have been available in towns and cities.
Cllr Mark Crane, the council’s executive member for open to business, whose responsibilities include broadband, said:
The importance of having access to superfast broadband cannot be underestimated, as it now part of everyday life for communities and businesses across the nation.
We are committed to ensuring that our local economy flourishes and that business owners based in the county are able to compete effectively. To do that, every home and business has to have superfast broadband, and the Government must ensure that this becomes a reality.
Full fibre broadband is up to 10 times faster than the average home broadband connection and around five times more reliable than the traditional copper-based network.
0