Cllr Richard Wenham, deputy executive membet for corporate resources, said: “At the end of last year, we announced the great news that around 15,500 homes and business premises in Central Bedfordshire were set to benefit from access to superfast broadband.
“But we have always maintained that we want to go further and secure extra funding to maximise the coverage in our area.”
The government has also announced details of additional funding from a £250 million pot, with the hardest to reach locations amongst those who stand to benefit most.
This funding is in addition to the £1.2 billion already invested in the area by central and local government and will ensure 95% of homes and businesses have access to superfast broadband by 2017.
Cllr Wenham said: “This additional investment that we have agreed, as well as the contribution from BDUK, means we can work to push our overall superfast access to at least 95% of premises – something that could completely transform the way people live and work.”
The council is currently on target to deliver high-speed broadband (24Mbps) to around 90% of premises in Central Bedfordshire by the end of 2016, with all areas set to receive services of 2 Mbps or more.
The current broadband project is a partnership with Bedford Borough and Milton Keynes Councils, BDUK (the government’s superfast programme) and BT Openreach.
