Hertfordshire Council launches campaign for superfast broadband

Hertfordshire Council launches campaign for superfast broadband

Hertfordshire County Council has urged residents to get behind a campaign to make superfast broadband available across the region.

The council already has government funding in place to improve broadband speeds in the county. However, it is urging residents to show that the demand for faster speeds is there by logging on to a dedicated website - www.superfastforherts.org.

Anyone who registers on the site before 1 September will be entered into a prize draw to win an iPad which has been donated by Serco.

A spokesperson for the council said, “There is no obligation to buy superfast broadband if it becomes available. By registering, residents are simply helping the council demonstrate to broadband service providers that there is demand.”

Residents can also use the site to check their current broadband speed. In addition they’re being encouraged to get the issue trending on Twitter by tweeting with the hashtag #superfastforherts.

Currently, the broadband coverage across Hertfordshire is not consistent, with speeds varying between towns and even streets next to each other.

Cabinet member for Resources and Economic Wellbeing, David Lloyd, is quoted as saying, “We’re living in an increasingly digital society, with more and more services and information becoming available online all the time. Hertfordshire County Council wants to make sure residents and businesses can take full advantage of everything the internet has to offer.”

He added, “This is a great opportunity for people who are frustrated with their current internet connection to help improve the broadband speed where they live.”

A recent report found that the UK is lagging behind when it comes to superfast broadband. According to the European Commission’s new Digital Agenda Scoreboard, published earlier this week, just 1.1 per cent of UK fixed-line broadband connections are able to deliver 100Mbps or faster. The government has set targets for download speeds of 25Mbps for 90 per cent of households, and a minimum of 2Mbps coverage, by 2015.

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