‘Lightning-fast’ broadband set for The Lake District

The Lake District is set to get ‘lightning-fast’ broadband as part of the government’s plans to level up and accelerate post-pandemic growth in parts of the country with slow internet speed.

Boris Johnson is promising funding for more than a million hard-to-reach homes and businesses to have the next generation “gigabit” broadband installed.

It is the first phase of a £5bn government infrastructure project and will benefit several areas in the north of England.

The government said Project Gigabit will accelerate the country’s recovery from covid, fire up high growth sectors like tech and the creative industries and level up the country.

It is also relaunching  the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme with up to £210m to give people in eligible rural areas immediate financial help to get gigabit speeds.

The government is also making up to £110m available to connect public sector buildings – such as GP surgeries, libraries and schools – in the hardest to reach parts of the UK with this infrastructure.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Project Gigabit is the rocket boost that we need to get lightning-fast broadband to all areas of the country.

“This broadband revolution will fire up people’s businesses and homes, and the vital public services that we all rely on, so we can continue to level up and build back better from this pandemic.”

Premises in West Cumbria including in the Lake District National Park are set to benefit alongside parts of Cambridgeshire, Cornwall, Dorset, Durham, Essex, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Tees Valley.

“Project Gigabit is our national mission to plug in and power up every corner of the UK and get us gigafit for the future,” said Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden.

“We have already made rapid progress, with almost 40% of homes and businesses now able to access next-generation gigabit speeds, compared with just 9% in 2019.

“Now we are setting out our plans to invest £5bn in remote and rural areas so that no one is left behind by the connectivity revolution.

“That means no more battling over the bandwidth, more freedom to live and work anywhere in the country, and tens of thousands of new jobs created as we deliver a game-changing infrastructure upgrade.”

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