Council to increase broadband speeds for Darlington

Darlington Borough Council has promised to increase broadband speeds to 3,600 homes in Darlington by 2020 and “stay ahead in the digital speed race".

The council wants to install superfast broadband in Piercebridge, Hurworth, Neasham, Barmpton, Redworth and Middleton St George.

The majority of the work is anticipated to be completed by the middle of next year.

Council documents state: "The Tees Valley Combined Authorities together with Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) has committed funding for two phases of publicly supported broadband infrastructure rollout programmes.

"BDUK, a section of the Department of Culture Media and Sport, has been the main driver and funder of enhancing infrastructure and speed of broadband to superfast in areas of the UK which have been not been commercially viable.

"BDUK has a target of 95 per cent coverage of UK premises by 2019/2020 for phase two of the Superfast Extension Programme.

"There is, in Darlington, a gap after phase one of one-and-a-half per cent to reach that Government target.

"Tees Valley Combined Authority decided in late 2016 that it wanted an enhanced phase two option in the Tees Valley.

"As digital enhancements and technology are not standing still and ambitions for economic growth are underpinned by digital speeds across the Tees Valley Combined Authority, Darlington aims to stay ahead in the digital speed race."

Minister for Digital, Margot James, called on local authorities to bid for a share of £95 million to aid the rollout of “full fibre” broadband across the UK earlier this week.

The proposals will be discussed by councillors at a meeting on Thursday.

The first part of the BDUK programme delivered 19 superfast fibre cabinets in the town centre as well as the Central Park Enterprise Zone and four rural cabinets between 2014 and 2016.

It is expected that by 2020, nearly 99.4 per cent of the region will be covered by superfast broadband.