Schools, GP surgeries, care homes and village halls across South Essex are set to enjoy from some of the fastest broadband connections in the UK thanks to a £4.5m boost secured by South Essex councils. Homes and local businesses are also expected to benefit from the programme.
The broadband boost is the result of a successful bid to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) by South Essex councils working under the banner of the Association of South Essex Local Authorities (ASELA).
The funding will deliver improved connectivity to 214 sites in the South Essex corridor, including locations in Basildon, Brentwood, Castle Point, Rochford and Thurrock.
The money will help take gigabit speed broadband to rural and hard-to-reach areas of South Essex, with the expectation that this leads to broadband providers (ISPs) creating additional connections to local homes and businesses.
The funding will see the extension of gigabit fibre connectivity to a number of rural public sector sites within the corridor and in doing so will allow the private sector to build from this connectivity and supply homes and businesses in the vicinity.
