Local councillor Cherry Beath has welcomed the news that the Coalition Government’s plans to bring superfast broadband to B&NES have been approved by the European Commission as complying with European ‘state aid’ legislation.
This approval paves the way for the Coalition Government’s £530M rural broadband scheme. Work on laying cables can now start in earnest for local authority broadband projects all around the UK, including the “Connecting Devon and Somerset” scheme, in which B&NES is a partner.
The Coalition announced last year that Devon and Somerset would get £32M to provide superfast broadband across the area.
Councillor Beath (Liberal Democrat, Combe Down) commented: “Superfast broadband is crucial to build a strong economy, where everyone has the opportunity to make a success of their business. There are many smaller companies, in rural areas in B&NES, who are crying out for better broadband to help grow their businesses. Superfast broadband is essential to help create jobs and growth for us and ensure we can compete fairly with businesses based in urban areas.
“It is also very important for local and national government to deliver public services effectively online and to going about our everyday lives. For too long, our area has missed out on investment in broadband. That’s why I’m glad that Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government have done the right thing by making this a priority and ensuring that the European Commission approved the plans.”
“B&NES is fast becoming a hub for digital companies and we want to encourage the growth of this sector of our local economy. I will be working with our partners in “Connecting Devon and Somerset” as well as the Coalition Government to ensure we deliver superfast broadband as soon as possible.”
Councillor Jeremy Sparks (Liberal Democrat, Clutton) added: “It’s fantastic that such an investment is being made at this time to improve internet access in our local rural areas. I feel that it is of much importance that rural communities are not left behind when it comes to the roll out of fibre-to-the-cabinet technologies which will improve internet access speeds significantly.“
