A million-pound investment to provide faster internet

Hampshire County Council says it has spent Â£1m in to a scheme to help more difficult-to-reach communities benefit from superfast broadband.

By The Newsroom

Published 10th Aug 2017, 07:00 BST

Updated 12th Sep 2017, 11:04 BST

Council leader Councillor Roy Perry said: ‘Good broadband access is fundamental – people rely on the internet every day, whether it’s for banking and shopping, or learning and working from home.

‘Not only is it vital for the economy of Hampshire, it is also an effective way of delivering modern and accessible public services.’

The Community Match Funding scheme has been developed in conjunction with BT’s Community Fibre Partnership.

The Hampshire Superfast Broadband programme is due to increase coverage across the county from 80 per cent to 97.4 per cent by the end of 2019.

Steve Haines, managing director  for Openreach, said: ‘It is great to be  able to work with Hampshire County Council to find a fibre broadband solution.

‘Openreach is committed to making fibre broadband as widely available as possible and the technology really does have the ability to transform the way people interact online.’