Cumbria UK Council Agree £5.6m Expanded Superfast Broadband Rollout

The Cumbria County Council has approved an additional public funding boost of £5.6m in order to expand the coverage of superfast broadband (24Mbps+) from the current target of 93% by 2015 to 95% by 2017. The contract will now go out to tender, although BT looks certain to win it.

The expanded project forms part of the Government’s national Broadband Delivery UK based Superfast Extension Programme (SEP). Indeed BDUK are contributing £2.86m of the total for the new contract and this is to be matched by public investment from the local authorities and regional Growth Fund (BT might also stick some extra investment into the pot).

According to last week’s cabinet meeting notes, the council have now been authorised to conclude the terms of the contract with their preferred supplier and no prizes for guessing who that is.

Cumbria Council’s Cabinet Meeting Notes – 5th Feb 2015

“The Corporate Director of Environment and Community Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Economic Development be authorised to negotiate with BT Group and agree changes reasonably required to the terms of the current Connecting Cumbria Project Agreement to allow the award and commencement of the potential contract.”

However the contract itself won’t go out to tender until summer 2015 and that means we’ll have to wait a little bit longer before knowing the specifics of what BT can achieve with that level of additional funding. Never the less it is already known that the additional 2% coverage will probably equate to around 5,000 extra homes and businesses being put within reach of superfast speeds.

So far the existing Connecting Cumbria project has already helped some 67,000 additional premises to receive faster broadband connectivity. Credits to in-Cumbria for spotting this update.