Hfd's Partnership secures funding for Broadband
11 December 2003
A bid to bring Broadband to Herefordshire, which kicks off early in the New Year, has received a boost following news of a welcome £2 million injection of Euro cash.
Fast Internet access will place Herefordshire firmly on the cyber map ensuring the county's rural businesses can remain competitive into the future.
The money was secured by the Herefordshire Partnership through the European Regional Development Fund (administered by the Government Office of the West Midlands) and will make broadband services available throughout the county.
The Herefordshire In Touch (HIT) Programme will receive up to £2 million in addition to the £1.6 million Single Regeneration Budget funding already approved by Advantage West Midlands.
Neil Pringle, Herefordshire Partnership Chairman, said: "This is just the news business in Herefordshire have been waiting for. Broadband will enable us to remain competitive with businesses in urban areas and compete in the global economy."
Set to launch in January, the "We want Broadband" campaign aims to encourage businesses and citizens of Herefordshire to register for Broadband services.
When enough registrations have been taken, the HIT Programme will encourage suppliers to meet this demand by offering subsidies to successful applicants.
The Herefordshire Partnership sees broadband as an important element in the future economic development of the county.
Around 80% of the population in the UK has access to broadband but in Herefordshire that figure drops to only 27%.
The campaign hopes to demonstrate to broadband suppliers that, even though Herefordshire is England's most rural county, it has enough broadband customers to make supply a viable business proposition.
Many providers of computer based products and services are developing their ranges based in the expectation broadband will be widely available.
As consumers through the rest of the UK are utilizing the new technology there is the potential for Herefordshire to be left behind, both socially and economically.
To succeed, the campaign needs all the people in the county who want affordable broadband connection (for either business or private use) to register their demand with the We Want Broadband campaign.
More follows
From January 5th people can do this either on the campaign's web site at
www.wewantbroadband.org.
Herefordshire Partnership is determined to ensure individuals and businesses within the County have access to the latest technology which will enable them to interact and compete with the rest of the UK on an equal footing.
A bid to bring Broadband to Herefordshire, which kicks off early in the New Year, has received a boost following news of a welcome £2 million injection of Euro cash.
Fast Internet access will place Herefordshire firmly on the cyber map ensuring the county's rural businesses can remain competitive into the future.
The money was secured by the Herefordshire Partnership through the European Regional Development Fund (administered by the Government Office of the West Midlands) and will make broadband services available throughout the county.
The Herefordshire In Touch (HIT) Programme will receive up to £2 million in addition to the £1.6 million Single Regeneration Budget funding already approved by Advantage West Midlands.
Neil Pringle, Herefordshire Partnership Chairman, said: "This is just the news business in Herefordshire have been waiting for. Broadband will enable us to remain competitive with businesses in urban areas and compete in the global economy."
Set to launch in January, the "We want Broadband" campaign aims to encourage businesses and citizens of Herefordshire to register for Broadband services.
When enough registrations have been taken, the HIT Programme will encourage suppliers to meet this demand by offering subsidies to successful applicants.
The Herefordshire Partnership sees broadband as an important element in the future economic development of the county.
Around 80% of the population in the UK has access to broadband but in Herefordshire that figure drops to only 27%.
The campaign hopes to demonstrate to broadband suppliers that, even though Herefordshire is England's most rural county, it has enough broadband customers to make supply a viable business proposition.
Many providers of computer based products and services are developing their ranges based in the expectation broadband will be widely available.
As consumers through the rest of the UK are utilizing the new technology there is the potential for Herefordshire to be left behind, both socially and economically.
To succeed, the campaign needs all the people in the county who want affordable broadband connection (for either business or private use) to register their demand with the We Want Broadband campaign.
More follows
From January 5th people can do this either on the campaign's web site at
www.wewantbroadband.org.
Herefordshire Partnership is determined to ensure individuals and businesses within the County have access to the latest technology which will enable them to interact and compete with the rest of the UK on an equal footing.