Michael Gove welcomed the rollout of superfast broadband connectivity across Surrey Heath. To date, the Government-funded Broadband Delivery UK programme has made superfast broadband available to 5,116 homes and businesses in Surrey Heath.
As part of the commitment to build a country that works for everyone, the Government is also introducing a “Broadband Universal Service Obligation” to give consumers the right to request fast, affordable broadband wherever they live and work. This will mean that by 2020 everyone can request a connection of at least 10Mbps - around half the speed of superfast, but still quick enough to download a half-hour TV show in two minutes.
In Surrey Heath, current superfast coverage (both funded by Government, and delivered commercially) is 97.6% (as reported on the website thinkbroadband (http://labs.thinkbroadband.com).
Michael said:
"It is great to see superfast broadband becoming more available to homes and local businesses across the constituency. I recognise that there is still more to do to get superfast broadband to homes and businesses. If you have queries, I would urge any local residents who are not yet connected to contact Superfast Surrey (http://superfastsurrey.org.uk/). The Superfast Surrey Broadband Programme is a jointly-funded programme between Surrey County Council, BT plc and Broadband Delivery UK to deploy fibre-based infrastructure to residents and businesses that have been excluded from any commercial rollouts. The Government has provided Surrey funding of £1.31 million for this to roll out broadband across Surrey, but the average take-up is only 45.1%, so there is still progress to be made."
Surrey Heath residents can check the availability of superfast broadband services for specific homes and businesses at http://gosuperfastchecker.culture.gov.uk/, where you will be directed to available superfast broadband providers.