The county council is urging local communities and businesses not to miss out on government funding to boost broadband speeds in their area.
There are currently two schemes that provide funding for broadband improvements in rural areas.
The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme provides grants of £500 – £2,500 towards the cost of full fibre broadband, which offers much faster and more reliable speeds.
Hard-to-reach communities and businesses could also benefit from the Rural Gigabit Connectivity Scheme, which is targeted at those areas that are unlikely to benefit from private sector investment in the near future.
Local organisations, such as schools and parish councils, can bid for funding to install a gigabit connection to a public building, which will in turn make the surrounding area more likely to attract commercial investment.
Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for IT, said: “The government’s making millions of pounds available for broadband improvements and we want to make sure Lincolnshire gets its fair share”.
“The Gigabit Voucher Scheme is not funding the council can bid for itself, but we are happy to support those communities that would like to take advantage of these schemes to boost speeds in their area.
“The Rural Gigabit Connectivity Scheme requires public sector organisations and communities to work together to apply for funding. We are actively looking at potential sites, but will need community interest to put forward applications.
“Over the last few years, the onlincolnshire project has provided 169,436 homes and businesses with access to better broadband, meaning over 90 percent of the county can now get superfast speeds.
“If local communities take advantage of these further funding opportunities, we can hopefully get to those remaining really hard-to-reach areas, ensuring no-one’s left behind.”
For further details on both schemes, as well as the latest news on the onlincolnshire project, visit www.onlincolnshire.org
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