Govt broadband funding 'a very local process'

The £50 million of funding for improving superfast broadband infrastructure across the UK announced on March 4th is to be distributed on a very local basis, says chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.

He said: "This is very much a locally driven process and we encourage bids from all local people with plans for improving broadband in their local area."

Up to 800,000 properties are expected to benefit from the financing, which could help to deliver superfast internet connections to remote areas where existing infrastructure is poorly performing.

This is a central theme of the four-year, £530 million budget now allocated to installing broadband core cabling in places where the market alone would otherwise be likely not to reach.

According to the Department for Business, Industry and Skills, broadband represents a step forward for home internet users as it enables multimedia to be watched online, multiplayer games to be played and multiple computers in the house to connect at once.