More than 24,000 homes and businesses in 34 communities are to be included in the first stages of Superfast North Yorkshire’s multi million pound programme.
The latest North Yorkshire communities to benefit including Pately Bridge, Sleights, Rufforth and Ripon will be upgraded by the end of Summer 2013. There will also be a substantial investment in making fibre broadband more widely available in areas which already have the high-speed technology such as York, Malton, and Dringhouses.
Timothy Kirkhope, MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, said today that the investment would help to build confidence of an economic recovery among local households and businesses.
It will take the total number of premises with access to fibre broadband in the county to more than 160,000 with Superfast North Yorkshire already set to reach 10,000 homes and businesses not covered by BT’s commercial roll-out by the end of March.
Councillor Carl Les, chairman of Superfast North Yorkshire, said: “Investment in fibre and faster broadband speeds will be a key part of our economic revival as we finally shrug off the effects of the downturn and create a better, more prosperous future.
“Fast, sophisticated communications are the cornerstone of a successful community, helping local people to build their skills and knowledge and encouraging the creation of new businesses and jobs. This exciting technology will transform on-line education, training and leisure for households and enhance the competitiveness of local firms.
“In addition to BT’s commercial roll-out of fibre broadband Superfast North Yorkshire has already announced plans to make fibre broadband available to over 125,000 homes and businesses in our county. Reaching that target is a substantial achievement and we are pleased with the pace of the roll-out which is bringing this exciting technology to more challenging areas in the county.”
Timothy Kirkhope added: “This is very welcome news as we move forward in another challenging year. Local firms and households will be greatly encouraged by such a major investment, which demonstrates that we are making progress even in these tough economic times. It will reinforce North Yorkshire’s strong credentials as a great place to live and do business. High-speed communications have never been more vital in order to succeed in an ever more competitive and connected world.”