County councils must submit their broadband requirements by February 2012

The county councils in need of rural broadband upgrade have been asked by the government to apply for the fund before February 2012. The government has set aside GBP 530 million for the task. The completion is to be not latter than 2015. According to Ofcom, the regulator, super fast broadband should provide a download speed of 24 Mbps and above. The government’s policy was welcomed by the campaigners, who believe that fixing of the dead line would speed up the things. Most of the service providers are unwilling to take up the erection work in rural areas, saying that it is time consuming and involves too much expenditure. But when the government wants 90% of the country to have broadband connection by 2015, the providers have no other go but to carry on with the work. The rural communities are unperturbed by the attitudes of the top broadband installers. They are raising the funds themselves for the ambitious tasks, because they are confident that provision of fiber optic broadband will take the businesses in the areas to the level of those in the urban areas. Everyone will then have equal opportunity and the so called digital divide will no more exist. After submitting the plan, the council will have the chance to negotiate with the government officials till April 2012, after which a suitable fund will be set apart for each county. Jeremy Hunt, the cultural secretary is confident that the local authorities will put up a good show, as they have realized that super fast connectivity is vital for the growth and economic success of their respective localities. Ultimately it will pave the way for economic stability of the whole country.