Call for Lyme Regis and Charmouth to get on board with superfast broadband (From Bridport and Lyme Regis News)

Call for Lyme Regis and Charmouth to get on board with superfast broadband

4:50pm Friday 8th March 2013 in News By Adrianne Maslen

LYME Regis and Charmouth are urged to get on board with superfast broadband to ensure the communities are not left behind.

The Superfast Dorset project will invest £38million in private and public funds to install high speed internet connection to rural areas.

Dorset County Council, with input from district councils, has earmarked £9.4 million for the scheme, which aims to connect 95 per cent of Dorset to speeds of at least 24 megabytes per second (Mbps).

Only parts of central Lyme Regis will be covered by commercial providers, but Superfast Dorset will connect the surrounding area, including Charmouth.

Dorset County Council said it is essential that properties not covered by the commercial rollout register their interest for superfast broadband.

More than 7,000 people have already registered through the county council website, but fewer people from the Lyme Regis and Charmouth area have expressed an interest than anywhere else.

Only 64 properties in the DT7 area have registered.

A county council spokesman said: “Some parts of Lyme Regis will receive access to faster broadband through the commercial rollout. “If you are not covered by the commercial rollout you should register.

“We don’t yet know which properties will get superfast. What looks likely is that urban areas will, but across Dorset remote areas may not get access to superfast.”

Any premises which do not get superfast broadband will get access to at least 2Mbps – currently one in five premises across Dorset get 0.5Mbps.

The council spokesman has stressed the economic and social benefits of high speed connections.

“Our businesses need this and are crying out for it to keep businesses in rural areas and improve employment prospects,” said the spokesman.

“It will deliver council, health and other public services online more effectively, impacting on the number of cuts we have to make at this time of austerity.

“It will improve the ability to network and carry out our social lives in perhaps remote areas by keeping in touch with people and conferencing.

“It will enable children to download videos, update their music and go online to do their homework effectively.

“There are lots of economic and social benefits.”

Lyme Regis town councillor Lorna Jenkin, chairman of the tourism and economic development committee, has also urged residents to make sure they are not left behind.

She said: “The good news is that the majority of Lyme Regis will receive faster broadband.

“The message is that those outside the (commercial) scheme wishing to get a better broadband service must tell the county’s broadband team or they may be overlooked.”

A map is available at dorsetforyou.com/superfast showing which areas will be covered by the commercial providers, by Superfast Dorset, or neither.

Those who are not covered commercially should register themselves at dorsetforyou.com/superfast-dorset/register-interest.

Coun Jenkin added that Uplyme will also gain from the Lyme Regis telephone exchange upgrade, but residents will need to contact the Devon broadband team for more information.

Key facts

• Existing broadband is between 0.5Mbps and 8Mbps in most of Dorset

• Around one in five premises in Dorset can only get 0.5Mbps and some cannot get broadband at all

• Superfast broadband will deliver speeds of at least 24 Mbps and considerably higher in some places

• The Superfast Dorset programme is aiming for 95 per cent of premises in Dorset to have access to superfast broadband.

• Superfast Dorset went out to tender in February to find a provider to install the infrastructure