£56.9m Broadband investment will give Wales the infrastructure for growth, says Cheryl Gillan
Secretary of State for Wales Cheryl Gillan has today welcomed the £56.9m investment for Wales which will help take broadband to everyone and…
Secretary of State for Wales Cheryl Gillan has today welcomed the £56.9m investment for Wales which will help take broadband to everyone and superfast broadband to 90 per cent of homes and businesses in the country.
Wales’s share of the Government’s £530 million broadband investment fund was announced by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt as the Cabinet met in South Wales.
Matching the investment will allow the Welsh Government to provide 90 per cent of premises with access to superfast broadband and everyone with access to at least 2 Mbps. The Welsh Government will decide how to use this money to support the roll-out of broadband across the country.
Welcoming the significant investment, Mrs Gillan said: “I am delighted with this announcement which, with the new money we are providing to electrify the rail line to south Wales, shows our commitment to ensuring that Wales has the infrastructure it needs to grow.
“Boosting economic growth in Wales is my number one priority. We will continue to work in partnership with the Welsh Government on the delivery of super-fast broadband across Wales.
“Last week’s Ofcom report into broadband provision highlighted the challenge facing us in Wales to ensure we improve provision for domestic and business users. Today’s announcement will ensure broadband take-up and speed can be significantly improved, benefitting individuals and businesses.”
Mr Hunt said: ““Superfast broadband is essential if businesses are to grow and create new jobs. It is increasingly important for the way we deliver public services and to our everyday lives.
“But some areas of the UK are being left behind. Many rural and hard-to-reach communities do not have decent broadband access. We must ensure the whole country can join the digital age.
“We are investing £56.9 million to help take broadband to the whole of Wales. If the Welsh Government matches our investment, 90 per cent of the country’s homes and businesses will have access to superfast broadband.
“If you suffer the frustration of slow internet connections, then tell your _Welsh Assembly Member__ _that you need broadband. Urge them to make this investment and ensure that Wales is not left behind.”
**Notes **
- Ofcom defines ‘superfast broadband’ as broadband with speeds greater than 24 Mbps.
- In February, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced £10 million of funding for broadband in Pwllheli and surrounding areas of North Wales as part of the Welsh Assembly Government’s national delivery plan for all of Wales.
- Pilot programmes to bring broadband to North Yorkshire, the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, Cumbria and the Herefordshire borders, were launched in October last year. They were followed by a second wave of projects covering Wiltshire, Norfolk and Devon & Somerset, which were announced in May.