'LIGHTNING fast' broadband has been installed into a North Yorkshire community - thanks to a partnership project.
Broadband with up to 1000 Megabits per second download speed is being extended along Millstone Lane in Eggborough thanks to a Community Fibre Partnership project led by local resident, Andy Allerton.
When the project is completed, 113 more homes in Eggborough will be able to order Gigabit broadband - and the first connections were installed in time for Christmas with more to follow early in the new year.
Nigel Adams MP visited Eggborough to meet Andy Allerton and discuss the project, which took a year to deliver after the funding was put in place. The project was co-ordinated by the Eggborough Fibre Partnership Facebook group.
Mr Adams said: "I would like to thank Andy Allerton for all his hard work in taking the lead to get full fibre broadband installed in his community.
"The project is a good example of how the Government funded Rural Gigabit Voucher scheme enables a community to organise and fund a Gigabit broadband upgrade.”
Across Selby District, thanks to the 'Superfast North Yorkshire' project, 30Mbps broadband coverage has reached 93 per cent. The current trend is to upgrade with fibre to the homes which offers even higher speeds of up to a Gigabit.
In Selby, 27 per cent of homes can already get full fibre broadband, while in and around Eggborough it is even higher at 34 per cent of homes. This new Community Fibre Project will see a further increase in availability for Eggborough.
However there are still homes with less than 10Mbps which are being addressed by Phase 4 of the Government funded Superfast North Yorkshire project. This Phase 4 is well underway and will upgrade another 15,000 connections across the county.
The Community Fibre Partnership with Rural Gigabit vouchers is a different approach which enables a community to organise their own upgrade. The scheme is supported by a £210M Government fund.
Project leader, Andy Allerton, said: “After moving into our new build home in Eggborough in 2016 we were surprised to find our broadband was less than 10Mbps and that the development did not have full fibre broadband. A Community Fibre Project looked like a good way to resolve the problem.
"It took more work than expected, but we are now there and neighbours are starting to see the benefits of lightning fast broadband with speed options up to a Gigabit.”
Meanwhile, Mr Adams added: “I am delighted that this Community Fibre Project, which I have supported from the outset, is now approaching completion and am sure that it will deliver a step change in speeds and reliability for the residents of Millstone Lane and The Granary.”
Source: https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/23208076.lightning-fast-broadband-installed-eggborough/