Surrey issues fibre broadband consultation reminder

Surrey County Council (SCC) has issued a reminder to communications providers that it is running a consultation on the deployment of fibre optic broadband services.

The local authority is seeking feedback on its strategy, which aims to improve connectivity for the estimated 100,000 local homes and businesses set to miss out on inclusion in commercial fibre broadband rollouts from BT and Virgin Media.

During the consultation phase, which is open until next Tuesday (April 10th 2012), private sector telecoms firms are being urged to outline their plans to deliver high-speed broadband over the next three years.

"The aim is to confirm the picture the council has built up on their investment in Surrey remains accurate," SCC explained.

In the coming months, the local authority will choose a private sector partner to provide the necessary broadband infrastructure required to meet its goals.

Last month, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said SCC's aim of rolling out fibre broadband to everyone in the county in two years would be a "fantastic achievement".