Residents and businesses in the Vale of White Horse are set to benefit from a further investment to secure superfast broadband across the vast majority of the district.
Vale of White Horse District Council has agreed to put forward £250,000 to ensure that superfast broadband, which is currently being installed by BT as part of the Better Broadband for Oxfordshire project, will reach a minimum of 96 per cent of properties in the district, well exceeding the countywide target of 90 per cent coverage (93 per cent in the Vale) which is expected to be provided by December 2015.
Currently 68 per cent of residential and business properties in the Vale are able to receive superfast broadband, with a large number of businesses and homes affected by slow download and upload speeds meaning that it can often be cumbersome to carry out work or take advantage of online entertainment.
In August 2013 Oxfordshire County Council, in partnership with BT and the Government, launched the Better Broadband for Oxfordshire Project, a £25 million programme aiming to ensure that at least 90 per cent of the county will have access to superfast broadband speeds of 24Mbps and above by the end of 2015.
As part of the Better Broadband for Oxfordshire Project district councils in Oxfordshire were given the option of making additional funding available to extend reach in their districts. Vale of White Horse District Council has agreed to exercise this option with an investment of £250,000 and will work with the county council over the coming months to determine the additional coverage areas and dates for deployment.
The £250,000 investment by the Vale will also be match funded by the Government’s BDUK (Broadband Delivery UK), which is responsible for managing the Rural Broadband Programme, bringing the total additional funding up to £500,000.
Over the coming months the district council will consider making a further investment which would contribute towards the remaining four per cent coverage across the Vale.
Cllr Matthew Barber, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “The Vale already has a fairly high broadband reach and the Better Broadband for Oxfordshire Project will largely address those areas currently not covered. However we are well aware that if we leave it at 93 per cent coverage there will be small areas of our community who will still not receive the broadband speeds they need. This additional investment ensures that this is addressed and puts us that much closer to getting 100 per cent coverage.”