A total of £8.42m has been set aside by the Government to deliver superfast broadband to rural and hard to reach areas in Hampshire.
Around 50,000 households and nearly 7,000 business in the county fall into so-called 'not spots' that suffer from poor broadband coverage and could potentially benefit from the funding. Hampshire County Council said these were areas that were unlikely to upgraded without Government intervention.
Another 64,000 households in nearby areas could also see improvements. Areas with a poor broadband coverage include Basingstoke, Tadley, Hook and Oakley. The money is part of the Government's drive to ensure that 90 per cent of homes and businesses in the country have access to superfast broadband by 2015.
County council leader Ken Thornber said: “We now know how much money has been set aside for our area. The next steps will be to work with Broadband Delivery UK, suppliers and others to further develop our delivery plans in order to secure our share.
"The importance of a comprehensive broadband infrastructure has long been recognised by Hampshire County Council as both beneficial to Hampshire and the wider UK economy.
"Today’s announcement is a positive step towards the county council being able to implement this important project. It means we can progress our plans to work with public and private partners to close the digital divide, which sees urban areas receiving superfast broadband but rural villages just half a mile away getting little, or no, internet access."
More than 1,300 people in Basingstoke and Deane and nearby villages in Hart have registered their demand for the superfast services including 163 in Ellisfield, 169 in Tadley and 277 in Chineham.
“Broadband is now an integral part of modern living," said Councillor Thornber. "It is essential that people have the widest possible access to it so they can work and run businesses from home and make the most of education, employment, health and leisure."
“In times of financial constraint we must continue to invest in projects such as this because of the long term benefits they can bring. By getting involved in the delivery of superfast broadband for areas that would otherwise not benefit we will reduce inequality, help local residents and business have better access, and enable public services to reduce delivery costs as well.
“Where common broadband solutions are either not possible or commercially viable, it will take time to investigate and work up a range of local and flexible solutions to meet each community’s needs. These will make use of a range of technologies including wireless solutions and satellite.”
