The campaign to bring superfast broadband Internet to homes in the Burnham-On-Sea area has been given a boost with the news that 15,000 individuals and businesses across Somerset have responded to a survey being run by the Connecting Devon and Somerset project.
The initiative aims to provide 100% broadband coverage across the region – which includes the Burnham-On-Sea area – at 2Mbps with a minimum of 85% superfast broadband at 24Mbps by 2015 and superfast broadband for all by 2020.
Originally, the project team aimed to achieve a minimum of 10,000 responses to ensure their results were statistically representative of the whole region.
But, as Somerset County Councillor, David Hall, explains the more people respond, the more leverage the consortium has with broadband suppliers.
“We’re delighted that so many people are taking part in our survey. If we can evidence really strong demand for superfast broadband across Devon and Somerset, then we will be a much more attractive proposition for private sector investment in the network,” he told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
He added that the telephone line and Internet survey will stay open into the summer. People can respond via the website here or by calling 0844 4636887.
According to Ofcom, almost 18% of premises across Somerset and Devon are getting less than 2 Mbps. In Somerset, just 4% of the county can access superfast broadband, while in Devon, with two major cities, that rises to 17%.
