Durham council to discuss fibre broadband funding

Durham council chiefs are set to meet this week to discuss the county's fibre optic broadband plans.

If councillors give the green light to obtain money from the local authority's 2012-13 to 2015-16 capital programme, residents across Durham will be able to enjoy the benefits of super-fast broadband access, reports the Hartlepool Mail.

To secure £6.93 million of state funding for the scheme, Durham County Council has to agree to match this investment.

It has already committed £5.83 million to the Digital Durham project, which aims to deliver universal broadband access with speeds of at least 25Mbps.

The European Regional Development Fund could provide the remaining £1.1 million, but the council is being asked if its capital programme could potentially foot the bill.

A meeting to discuss this and other issues related to the fibre broadband scheme will take place on Wednesday (December 14th 2012).

Super-fast broadband is currently available to 22 per cent of homes in County Durham, according to recent research from Ofcom.