Cotswolds campaign 'to prove need for hi-tech business broadband'

A group has formed in Gloucestershire with the intention of proving there is a need for the latest high-speed business broadband to be rolled out in the area.

The Borders Broadband project is aiming to persuade private investors to back a scheme that would involve upgrading internet connections in rural parts of the county, reported the Cotswold Journal.

Organisers are surveying thousands of homes and companies in the region in a bid to show the desire for new technology is there.

Councillor Mark Hawthorne, leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: "This is beginning to show that there is real demand for faster broadband in our rural communities throughout Gloucestershire. I would urge everybody who hasn't done so already to complete a survey questionnaire."

Speaking during the announcement of his autumn statement last week, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne confirmed the government will spend £100 million on improving broadband connections in the UK.