Cumbria hails EU fibre broadband ruling

Cumbria County Council (CCC) has praised the EU's decision to approve the government's plans to significantly improve fibre optic broadband coverage.

European officials had been reviewing the Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) strategy amid fears it infringes rules on state aid, after only two providers - BT and Fujitsu - were allowed to apply for contracts under the framework.

The move means CCC's own plan to bring super-fast broadband to 93 per cent of homes and businesses across the county has moved a step closer to becoming reality.

Connecting Cumbria is set to be one of the first projects to be formally granted state aid approval, alongside Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Rutland.

Elizabeth Mallinson, CCC's cabinet member responsible for Connecting Cumbria, expressed her delight that this "key milestone" has been reached.

"There has been a tremendous amount of preparation work going on in anticipation of this announcement and we will now be working closely with BDUK to ensure Cumbria meets all the final criteria," she added.