Villagers Urged To Help Secure Ultra-Fast Broadband
Written by HFM News on 27th July 2023
People living in several Harborough villages are being urged to sign-up for free vouchers to help pave the way for ultrafast broadband connections.
Residents in Foxton, the Langtons, Glooston and Cranoe are being invited to take part in the initiative, which is part of a government-backed scheme to help rural communities.
If enough people get involved the vouchers will help Openreach fund the installation of full-fibre broadband connections to homes and businesses.
Pic: Openreach
Leicestershire County Council is backing the idea and is encouraging villagers to register to be part of it.
Councillor Pam Posnett, cabinet member for communities, said: “Full fibre technology provides more reliable, resilient, and future-proof connectivity. This means fewer faults, more consistent speeds and enough capacity to easily meet growing data demands.
“It’s also future proof, which means it will serve generations to come and won’t need to be upgraded for decades.
“Rolling out the fast speeds is a priority. And shortly, we’re launching GigaHubs across the county, helping families, businesses and people working from home access lightning fast connections.”
Wendy Sycamore, Openreach’s regional engagement manager, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for around 5,000 homes and businesses in villages around the Melton, Charnwood and Harborough areas of Leicestershire to secure all the benefits of ultrafast, ultra-reliable full fibre broadband for their community.
“Everyone who pledges a voucher will be doing their bit to help make these Leicestershire communities some of the best-connected places in the UK.”
Once the pledge target for the scheme is reached, residents need to ensure they then validate their vouchers with the Government so that Openreach can confirm that building work can get underway.
As part of the funding conditions residents are asked to commit to ordering a full fibre service from a provider of their choice for at least 12 months once the new network is available and confirm they are connected.
Apply for a voucher HERE
For more information on the Fibre Community partnership and to check your eligibility visit https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/fibre-community-partnership
