Quality broadband essential for rural Yorkshire - The Yorkshire Post says

It is an essential utility for businesses and families alike in this day an age, when so much depends on the click of a button.

However, rural communities have suffered terrible levels of connectivity, in effect keeping them years behind everywhere else.

It will be a relief for so many in the Yorkshire Dales, for example, that villages are to benefit from a multi-million pound scheme to tackle North Yorkshire’s digital divide.

This scheme has come from North Yorkshire County Council as part of a ‘consortium’ with universities and businesses, bulk-funded by the Government.

Ultra-fast broadband technology has been rolled out in the steep-sided valley of Coverdale, where connectivity speeds have been up to five times slower than the national average.

The Forbidden Corner tourist attraction in Leyburn, a distinctive labyrinth of tunnels, chambers, follies and surprises created within a four acre garden, provides an example of how such improvements can boost their offering, having launched a digital quest to bring characters to life through 5G-enabled augmented reality.

It is near-impossible to run a business, get on in school or work, or simply negotiate busy family lives without the benefits of broadband.

Without it, people will be driven away from these precious communities.

This scheme is another building block on which to help them thrive, but continual development is a necessity.