Superfast Broadband to Come to Thousands More Bedford Borough Homes

Thousands more homes in Bedford Borough are set to receive access to Superfast Broadband through to 2017.

Lib Dem Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson, has confirmed his support for the national Superfast Extension Programme, which will see 95% of homes in Bedford Borough given access to Superfast Broadband.

Bedford Borough Council has already been involved successfully in the first phase of the Government's national broadband project to make superfast broadband available to 90% of homes by 2016 and broadband speeds of at least 2 Mbps available to all homes. To see what's happening in your area, please use our postcode tracker.

That programme will deliver superfast broadband to an extra 8,000 homes by 2016. The Council's involvement in the national extension programme to reach 95% of premises, including match-funding the project locally, means thousands more homes, especially in rural parts of the borough, will be included.

Mayor Dave Hodgson, said: "Widening access to faster broadband across Bedford Borough will make a huge difference for businesses, families, older people and other residents across the Borough, especially in rural areas.

"Our successful involvement in the first phase of the programme will result in every single home in Bedford Borough receiving access to broadband speeds of at least 2 Mbps, with over 8,000 more homes and businesses receiving superfast broadband by 2016.

"We will now make sure the national Superfast Extension Programme to reach at least 95% of households is delivered in full here in the Borough, bringing superfast broadband to many thousands more homes and businesses in the borough."

Bedford Borough Council will provide match funding for the Superfast Extension Programme and will support its delivery.

In addition, we are currently working with Redraw Internet and one of its resellers Stoddenworld to put together a bid for additional funding to deliver superfast broadband to the most rural and dispersed communities in the borough. This 'Innovation Fund' competition opens in March with decisions made to enable a summer 2014 start on delivery.

For more information on broadband in Bedford Borough, please visit: www.bedford.gov.uk/broadband.