{"id":88451,"date":"2018-01-29T13:46:47","date_gmt":"2018-01-29T13:46:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=55f67d4b13fb57ef0bee8af6cb7ba1ed"},"modified":"2018-01-29T13:46:47","modified_gmt":"2018-01-29T13:46:47","slug":"press-release-north-east-now-boasts-highest-broadband-coverage-in-the-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=88451","title":{"rendered":"Press release: North East now boasts highest broadband coverage in the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New figures out today (29 January 2018) show the Northern Powerhouse is one of the most connected regions in the UK thanks to the government\u2019s \u00a31.7 billion broadband roll out programme.<\/p>\n

97.2% of the North East is enjoying unprecedented access to superfast broadband \u2013 the highest coverage in the country. The North West follows only shortly behind with 96% of the region having access to superfast broadband.<\/p>\n

More households and businesses across the North are now accessing superfast broadband speeds of 24 Mbps \u2013 more than double the 10 Mbps required by a typical family home.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s figures published by Think Broadband<\/a> show that the government is succeeding in improving connectivity in the Northern Powerhouse with businesses across the region benefitting from improved digital infrastructure and faster broadband; last year\u2019s Autumn budget announced up to \u00a31.8 billion of further government funding for the North to improve transport, digital connectivity, and economic regeneration.<\/p>\n

Northern Powerhouse Minister, Jake Berry, said:<\/p>\n

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The Northern Powerhouse is leading the charge in bridging the rural-urban digital divide. Strong digital infrastructure, including access to superfast broadband, is vital for a flourishing local economy by helping to spur growth and create thousands of new jobs.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re doing all we can to bring broadband access to even the most remote and rural areas in the country and are giving businesses the tools they need to meet the demands of the digital age.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

DCMS Secretary of State, Matt Hancock said:<\/p>\n

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Over the last 5 years, the government\u2019s rollout of superfast broadband has made superfast speeds a reality for more than 4.5 million homes and businesses who would otherwise have missed out. But there\u2019s still more to do in our work building a Britain that\u2019s fit for the future.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re reaching thousands more premises every single week, and have committed to making affordable, reliable, high speed broadband a legal right to everyone by 2020.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The government\u2019s \u00a31.7 billion rollout of superfast broadband to areas deemed \u201cnot commercially viable\u201d by industry has so far reached more than 4.5 million UK premises that would otherwise have been left in the connectivity slow lane, the majority of which are in rural areas.<\/p>\n

With 19 out of 20 UK homes and businesses now enjoying superfast broadband access, the government has also delivered on its manifesto pledge to bring superfast broadband to 95% of UK premises.<\/p>\n

In addition to the huge benefits to day-to-day life that superfast speeds offer, this closing of the \u201cdigital divide\u201d has also delivered a significant boost to local economies \u2013 creating around 50,000 new local jobs and generating an additional \u00a38.9 billion in turnover in the areas covered by the government rollout between 2013 and 2016.<\/p>\n

Further information<\/h2>\n

The latest broadband coverage figures are available at www.thinkbroadband.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Office address and general enquiries<\/h3>\n
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\n2 Marsham Street
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\nLondon<\/span>
\nSW1P 4DF<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n Contact form<\/span>
\n http:\/\/forms.communiti…<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

\n General enquiries: please use this number if you are a member of the public<\/span>
\n 030 3444 0000\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Media enquiries<\/h3>\n
\n
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\n Email<\/span>
\n newsdesk@communities.gsi.gov.uk<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

\n Please use this number if you’re a journalist wishing to speak to Press Office<\/span>
\n 0303 444 1209\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Social media – MHCLG<\/h3>\n
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Twitter – https:\/\/twitter.com\/mhclg<\/a>
Flickr – http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mhclg<\/a>
LinkedIn – http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/mhclg<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Northern Powerhouse is one of the most connected regions in the UK.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88451"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=88451"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88490,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88451\/revisions\/88490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=88451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=88451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=88451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}