High-speed broadband rolled-out to village

Rosedale, which is set in the heart of the North York Moors, is set to receive a £130,000 funding boost for a project which will enable the community’s residents and businesses to access high-speed broadband transmitted wirelessly from an existing scheme in Farndale.

The project, known as the “Rosedale extension”, is part of Connecting North Yorkshire – an initiative led by North Yorkshire County Council to bring high-speed broadband to rural communities across the region.

It has been funded by Ryedale District Council and a county council grant.

Thrisk and Malton MP Anne McIntosh said the latest expansion would provide a vital service for the Rosedale community.

“High-speed broadband will be extremely valuable to rural businesses, including farms, holiday cottages and B&Bs, who are all dependent on the internet to run their business.

“It will also be very welcome to the residents of Rosedale.”

Last year the county council received over £17m of Government funding to bring high-speed broadband to every resident and business in the county by 2017.

It was one of four areas in the country to receive the cash, in a move to address fears the county’s lack of connectivity could have a devastating effect on its economy.

NYnet, the county council’s broadband company, is also working with the European Regional Development Fund to secure match funding bringing the total investment for the county-wide broadband project to £25-£30m.

But the Countryside Alliance claimed last month the project had failed to get off the ground.

Senior NYnet officials conceded the project had proved “frustrating” due to a raft of regulations that needed to be adhered to, but stressed progress is being made.