Broadband Project To Ensure 2MB Access for All and Superfast for an extra 8,000 homes

Details were announced this week of the project which will see 8,000 additional homes in Bedford Borough receive 'superfast broadband' by 2016 and all homes have access to a minimum 2MB broadband. Working with partner authorities, Bedford Borough Council has successsfully secured over £1 million of investment in improving local broadband, especially across rural parts of the borough.

Details of the plans are available on Bedford Borough Council's website, including maps and a 'postcode checker' which allows you to see if your home will have its broadband access improved under the scheme and, if so, when it is due to take place. See www.bedford.gov.uk/broadband.

The rollout has been drawn up by BT Openreach and will see superfast broadband made available over 8,000 homes in Bedford Borough, in 7 phases until 2016. In addition, the project will see broadband above 2 Megabits per second made available to all homes in the Borough that would otherwise still be getting slower speeds.

Commenting, Mayor Dave Hodgson said: "This is a major project which will ensure at least basic broadband for all, including superfast broadband to more than 8,000 extra homes. Through the project we have secured over £1million of investment for Bedford Borough and BT's plans are designed to reach as many homes as possible.

"Widening access to broadband in Bedford Borough will help residents and businesses alike and we are working with our local partners, BDUK and BT Openreach to ensure superfast broadband is rolled out as far as possible through this project.

"We are also putting plans in place for the remaining homes to get access to superfast broadband as soon as possible. We are bidding for additional government funding, supporting efforts for innovative technology to be trialled in Bedford Borough."

Bedford Borough Council will continue to push to bring superfast broadband to homes not included in the superfast upgrade under BT's plans via this project through a range of means, including:

· Bidding for a share of the government's £250 million of additional funding for superfast broadband

· Support for Bedford being used as a trial location for new technology to extend superfast broadband access

· Encouraging high broadband take-up as this can generate funds for extending superfast coverage