Shropshire village kicks off county high-speed broadband project
More than 160 homes in a village were today being hooked up to superfast broadband, becoming the first to benefit from a roll out of improved connections across Shropshire.
A roadside cabinet in Montford Bridge, near Shrewsbury, was being switched on as part of the £24.6 million Connecting Shropshire project.
A further 6,000 homes and businesses in Albrighton, Harlescott, Minsterley and Pontesbury will also get access to superfast broadband within the next three months.
It comes after one business owner said improved broadband services were essential to stop rural companies like his being held back.
The big switch-on in Montford Bridge was being undertaken by Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for business growth and commissioning, and Steve Henderson, BT's general manager for the West Midlands.
Simultaneously
It was part of national Super Switch On Day, which was seeing a number of initiatives coordinated by the government's Broadband Delivery UK programme being switched on simultaneously. The scheme in Shropshire has attracted £7.8 million of funding from BDUK.
Connecting Shropshire, a partnership between Shropshire Council and BT, will see 93 per cent of homes and businesses in the Shropshire Council area have access to fibre broadband by the end of spring 2016.
Councillor Charmley said: "This is an important step forward.
"Whether you are a local businessperson wishing to build your company, a student carrying out research or a householder making use of on-line shopping and entertainment, access to high-speed internet has never been more important.
"In today's rapidly moving world, fast and sophisticated communications are absolutely vital.
"They are an essential part of future success."
Mr Henderson said: "Fibre broadband is changing people's lives.
"It provides a digital gateway to a wealth of opportunities whether it is supporting how we work, how we learn, how we communicate with friends and family, or how we entertain ourselves.
"Access to high-speed broadband is rapidly becoming a key ingredient for economic growth and is also a major determining factor in where businesses decide to locate," he added.
Star comment: Village life is brought up to speed
