The Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) for North Norfolk, Norman Lamb, has urged Norfolk County Council (NCC) to bid sooner rather than later for a slice of the governments £530m pot of cash to help improve broadband access around the UK by 2015 (could rise to £830m by 2017).

The next batch of successful bids will be awarded money by the governments Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) office in May 2011. The cash aims to ensure that everybody has access to a minimum broadband download speed of 2Mbps by 2015 and will also help to get most rural areas hooked up with "super-fast" connections.


Norfolk Council is certainly no stranger to this issue and has in the recent past been quite frustrated by the regions woeful broadband coverage and BT's inability to improve it (here, here and here). However, according to EDP24, Norfolk Council is attempting to find a solution.


It's surprising that the council hasn't already managed to construct a bid, especially considering their past and often quite vocal outbursts about the problem. Hopefully Norfolk will be able to submit a bid in time and does not only focus on a BT orientated solution to its problems.