Rural communities to benefit from next stage of North Yorkshire broadband scheme

An interactive map is now available on the Superfast North Yorkshire (SFNY) website which allows residents to check if they are included in the initial 12,000 connections being made under the £20.5m third phase of the scheme and when they can expect installation to begin.

In total, some 14,239 premises will receive the digital infrastructure during phase three with work expected to start before the end of the year and finish by mid-2021.

North Yorkshire County Council and its wholly-owned company NYnet have commissioned BT to take coverage of high quality broadband to 95 per cent of all domestic and business premises in the county.

The contract is funded with £12.1m from the county council, £7.3m from Broadband Delivery UK, the Government’s broadband delivery programme, and £1m from the European Regional Development Fund.

BT will invest an extra £9.2m to deliver the new infrastructure.

Most phase three properties will receive fibre-to-the-premise broadband, which is capable of speeds in excess of 300 Megabits per second.

Councillor Don Mackenzie, North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for broadband, said: “The technology will be the best available and will be able to handle even higher speeds as improvements in service, equipment and demand follow. Phase three puts the quality of broadband provision to some of our most remote communities on to a new, much higher level.

“It is great news for residents who have been waiting patiently for SFNY to get to them and they will be rewarded with some of the best broadband quality in the country.”

Richmond MP Rishi Sunak said decent broadband is almost as important as water and electricity for many households.

“I have always said rural areas should not be disadvantaged in the digital revolution and this announcement is another step in the right direction,” he said.