Business broadband 'to inspire the countryside'

Improved links to high-speed business broadband would inspire rural Britain and launch a revival of its industries.

That is the view of the Holkham Estate in Norfolk, where an upgrade to internet infrastructure is on the agenda, reported the Eastern Daily Press.

Based around a collection of Victorian buildings, the estate is hoping to make a "commercial comeback".

However, it has until now been thwarted by the lack of a business broadband connection in the Norfolk countryside – something Norfolk County Council is currently tackling, as it recently announced it is hoping to win support for a £30 million improvement scheme.

Viscount Coke, owner of Holkham, said: "We are finding that broadband is as great a need here as a decent electricity connection."

He added that he is fully behind the council's Say Yes to Better Broadband campaign, which is aimed at recording the level of public support in the region for an internet investment.