It has never been so important to have reliable broadband. In the villages we are generally well served, but in the truly rural parts of our county many have very poor speeds due to their distance from cabinets, or they live in “not-spots” where the cost of cabling and the modest take-up makes providing a decent service uneconomic. Kent County Council has been working with the Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) and this has meant that over 95% of properties across Kent and Medway can now access a superfast broadband service of at least 24mbps. KCC’s Kent Rural Fibre Broadband Project is connecting an additional 5,000 homes or businesses with no or slow broadband to gigabit capability fibre to the premises broadband. There is also a Top-Up Voucher Scheme for the remotest properties and up to £7,000 can be claimed for eligible premises. PM me if you would like to know more.
KCC councillor, David Brazier, reports that your local elected Member can sometimes help. In Rosemary Lane, Hodsoll Street, residents and businesses were trying to work with broadband speeds in single figures. BT were not interested in providing the necessary infrastructure but he was able, with KCC officers, to broker a deal whereby a new cabinet and cabling was provided so that speeds of 40mbps are now enjoyed, at no extra cost.
