Do you want faster Broadband?

Businesses and residents are being urged to say now if they want faster Broadband for the future.

Worcestershire County Council is working with partner organisations to increase Broadband speeds locally. Local people are now needed to help to make this a reality by completing the Broadband survey.

Faster Broadband is important to residents and local businesses. To ensure Worcestershire is 'Open for Business' local businesses have said that broadband speed is a key consideration for when choosing their location and slower speeds hold their business back.

Significant local authority funding has been allocated to enable faster broadband including funding from Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) of £3.35m. Local people are now being urged to take part in the Broadband Survey so the Council can provide evidence of demand to suppliers in order to get the best deal possible for Worcestershire.

Anyone who wants to get behind the efforts to make Faster Broadband for Worcestershire a reality can do so electronically by visiting www.worcestershire.gov.uk/broadband. Paper copies of the questionnaire are also being made available in public libraries, Contact Centres and with Parish Councils. Anyone signed up to Facebook can show support and 'like' the Facebook page www.facebook.com/broadbandworcs  set up to keep communities up to date with the latest information as it develops.

When completing the survey, the council is encouraging people to think ahead to what they need for the future. Internet speeds have increased hugely over the last ten years - in the 1990s, downloading a 2 hour video would have been largely unheard and would have taken approximately 60 hours as dial-up Internet only reached up to 56Kbps. With the advent of Broadband in the 2000s, download times reduced markedly and people with access to Superfast Broadband today can now download a 2 hour film in under 10 minutes.

Faster Broadband also enables and speeds up other online and communications activities which are vital to both residents and businesses including: video conferencing; keeping in touch via email and social media; accessing services; shopping and banking; online promotion and opening up new markets for businesses.

Councillor Simon Geraghty, Worcestershire County Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economy and Infrastructure, said: "I would encourage businesses and residents to take part in the short survey and enable us to show where there is particular demand for faster broadband locally. We are committed to ensuring Worcestershire is 'Open for Business' and supporting our local economy".

Councillor Phil Grove, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development at Malvern Hills District Council said: We want as many people as possible to complete the survey and demonstrate that there is the need for faster broadband across the district. We should not just be thinking about the requirements we have now but about the provisions and services we will want in the future to support our local businesses and residents.”

Residents and businesses are encouraged to take part in the short survey for Faster Broadband before it closes on 2nd September 2012. Further information is available at www.worcestershire.gov.uk/broadband , by emailing broadband@worcestershire.gov.uk  or by calling 01905 766432. Those without Internet access can pick up a paper copy of the questionnaire from a public library or by using the computers in libraries.