Message from Council Leader Martin Hill OBE

Keeping up with technology is vital for homes and businesses – as more people of all ages use the internet for both practical and social reasons.   I find it invaluable for catching up with the news, and responding to emails from residents. 

That’s why it’s great news that we’re leading a project to bring superfast broadband to almost nine out of 10 properties in Lincolnshire by April 2016. In such a large rural county that’s a fantastic  achievement, and many of us will be able to enjoy the benefits.

We’re also bringing 2Mb/s basic broadband to everybody else, so, for the first time ever, broadband will be available everywhere in Lincolnshire.

You can find out what’s happening in your area at www.onlincolnshire.org, although please be aware these details may change. Alternatively you can contact the council’s customer service centre on 01522 782066.

So, what is superfast broadband? It  has speeds of 24Mb/s and above – that’s more than double the speed of ordinary broadband. It means people can do much more online without experiencing frustrating delays or even websites crashing.  

As well as shopping, paying bills and browsing websites, you can keep in touch with family and friends via video calls, stream HD movies and download music in seconds.

Businesses will be able to connect better with customers, and reach much wider markets – even worldwide in many cases.  This has to be good for our economy, and means businesses can operate successfully from rural locations.

The onlincolnshire project  represents an investment of around £48m, which includes £11.2m from the county council, £4m from district authorities,  £14.3m from national government and £18.8m from our private sector partner, BT.

BT was chosen following a competitive selection process which was open to other businesses. Work on the project will start imminently with the first superfast connections expected to be available in January 2014. There will be a period of planning and detailed surveying, before Openreach, BT’s local network business, starts work on the ground.

An additional £300,000 from the European Regional Development Fund will be used to bring superfast speeds to east coast communities in and around Ingoldmells and Wrangle through wireless technology. These improvements will be be carried out by Lincoln firm AB Internet.