Brigg & Goole MP Andrew Percy has welcomed a Government commitment to invest £530 million into the roll-out of rural broadband.
The Government has adopted a Universal Service Commitment to get broadband in every household at speeds above 2Mbps. The funding will be directed to ensure that the commitment is met by 2015.
The fund is made up of a £230 million surplus from the Digital Switchover fund and an additional £300 million from the Television licence fee and goes much further than that offered by the previous Government.
Andrew Percy MP says, “I am delighted to see the Government showing a real commitment to rural broadband. Broadband access and speeds are a real concern in many of our rural areas and I hope this funding will allow residents to use the internet in a way those in densely populated urban areas have enjoyed for years.
The Universal Service Commitment means that a higher proportion of funding will n now come to rural areas as it is there where we are seeing slower speeds or even no broadband connection at all.
Unlike in Labour’s plan, residents will not be asked for more money to foot the bill. Instead a surplus from the Digital Switchover and an additional £300m from the Television licence fee budget will make up the funds whilst the Licence fee itself will be frozen for the next 6 years.
It is a huge success in the battle for faster broadband for our rural communities. I will however continue to put pressure on the industry for even greater investment!”