Internet speed trials vital in bid for Government funding

Last week, North Yorkshire County Council confirmed the “Connecting North Yorkshire” project has received Government funding of as much as £16.4m to bring high-speed broadband to every resident and business in the county by 2017.

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

Now, following the announcement, the Ryedale local strategic partnership has launched the project to map the current internet speeds of rural communities and business parks across the North York Moors, Howardian Hills and Yorkshire Wolds.

As well as finding areas that are most in need, it also hopes to persuade residents and businesses of the importance of taking up new high-speed broadband opportunities in the district in a bid to attract funding.

Councillor Clare Wood, chairman of the local strategic partnership, said: “The Partnership is delighted to be so proactive with this important piece of work, identifying supply and demand to investigate the possibilities for improved provision of broadband in Ryedale.

“This research will inform the ‘Connecting North Yorkshire’ project of the rural businesses and community clusters that are most in need of a faster broadband service and tap into a range of potential funding sources to improve broadband speeds.”