Vale4Business, the Vale's new business forum is leading the charge to improve rural broadband. Oxfordshire County Council has recently unveiled details of it's deal with BT that will see the roll out of superfast (>24Mbps) to over 90% of Oxfordshire. The detailed coverage map can be seen here http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/content/broadband-coverage-map. It is estimated that 31,050 people will benefit from these 'superfast' speeds. For the rest of the district, around 3,500 homes and business they will receive broadband of a minimum of 2Mbps. Whilst this is an undoubted improvement it is little consolation for those who feel 'left out' by BT's roll out programme. The Vale of White Horse District Council, working with businesses under the umbrella of Vale4Business is looking for solutions to fill the remaining gap. We are already working with BT to look at what further work they would need to do to extend the proposed scheme. We will also talk to other potential suppliers to see what other options are available to communities. The District Council is not in a position to fully fund any expansion of the broadband network, but working with business partners and parishes we hope to come up with a plan for further improvements. Vale4Business will soon be launching a survey for businesses and parishes to identify where the key areas of need are. If you would like to take part in the survey or represent a group already working on broadband, please contact info@vale4business.com.