Broadband funding to come to Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is to benefit from a multimillion pound investment that will see high-quality broadband services delivered throughout the county, it has been revealed.

In funding issued by Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), the region is to gain financial assistance in rolling out a new network as part of a pilot scheme aimed at ensuring rural parts of the county are able to receive high-speed internet access.

And with the European Regional Development Fund set to match any funding given to the project by BDUK, between £25 and £30 million is to be invested in broadband services in the region.

"We are determined to ensure that businesses and the people of North Yorkshire continue to thrive and high-quality broadband is essential to thriving communities," county councillor Carl Les, chair of Connecting North Yorkshire, states.

He adds that the ability to provide a company telephone system and remote access to servers will help place the area "on a level playing field" with the facilities available in major cities such as London and Leeds.

Earlier this month, the North East Chamber of Commerce published an open letter demanding that more is done to provide the region with high-speed broadband, with policy advisor Mark Stephenson claiming that "digital connectivity is a real issue".