Northants villages seek Defra fibre broadband cash

A bid for money to support the rollout of fibre optic broadband in Northamptonshire has been submitted to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The Newbottle, Charlton and King's Sutton Superfast Broadband Project is looking to secure financial support from Defra's Rural Community Broadband Fund.

If the bid is successful, it is hoped that the initiative will improve coverage of fibre optic broadband, which is already widely available in urban centres such as nearby Banbury.

The villages are set to find out within two months if their application has been approved, in which case they will join up with Northamptonshire County Council's super-fast broadband strategy, supported by government agency Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK).

Under the BDUK framework, the whole of Northamptonshire will gain access to fibre broadband within the next five years.

At present, 59 per cent of the county is able to connect to super-fast broadband services, according to the latest figures from telecoms regulator Ofcom.