Two firms chase broadband boost
BETTER broadband in Suffolk has taken a step nearer with two major companies invited to bid for the £40 million contract.
British Telecom (BT) and Fujitsu now have until September 7 to make their case for winning the contract to extend access to broadband to the areas of Suffolk which currently have slow speeds.
By 2015, over 90 per cent of premises in the county will be able to access superfast broadband while the rest are promised ‘a significant increase in available speed and reliability’.
Suffolk County Council will hold a special cabinet meeting on September 20 where leaders of the county’s seven district and borough councils, Suffolk’s MPs and business and voluntary group representatives will be invited to discuss a recommendation on selecting a supplier. The contract will be awarded on October 8.
Cllr Mark Bee, Suffolk County Council’s leader and chairman of Better Broadband for Suffolk, said: “This is a hugely significant milestone in the Better Broadband programme. We’ve got the public funding in place, overwhelming public support behind us and now we’re one of the first four counties to actively go out to the market and invite bids.”
Matthew Hancock, MP for West Suffolk, welcomed the news. He added: “Awarding the contract in October cannot come soon enough. When it comes to choosing, the winning bid must have strong plans for ensuring superfast broadband coverage extends to even the most rural areas of Suffolk.”
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Weather for Bury St Edmunds
Saturday 25 May 2013
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