SuffolkOnline.net

Speed up Suffolk broadband campaign gets off to flying start

The high speed broadband campaign for Suffolk has got off to a flying start thanks to the amazing support from the people of Suffolk! The Speed up Suffolk campaign caught the attention of so many people struggling to work or study online that since January the EEDA EREBUS website has registered the Suffolk voting tally as being one of the highest in the East of England.

The campaign is supported by the Suffolk Broadband Partners who need one more push from the people of Suffolk to register on the EREBUS site to give Suffolk that distinctive edge over the rest of the region. The website is set up to enable residents and businesses of the East of England to detail why they need high speed broadband and there’s still some time left to vote. It takes 5 minutes to register at http://www.erebusonline.org.uk/ and for help with what to write in the registration form message box go to www.suffolk.gov.uk and click on Speed up Suffolk.

Andy Wood, Chair of Choose Suffolk said “this is an amazing result for the county.  In real terms we are competing with the rest of the region if not the UK to ensure that Suffolk’s high speed Next Generation broadband needs are right at the top of the agenda.  If the residents and businesses of Suffolk can help us by voting for faster broadband they could support our bid for much needed investment into the county- a true measure of community success”.

Suffolk County Councillor Bruce Provan, Portfolio Holder for Skills and Economic Development said: “High speed broadband in our rural areas is a top priority for our county in order to us keep up with the pace of communications, education and business elsewhere in the UK.  We have a responsibility to our young people, who are our future workforce, to do all we can to give them the tools thy need to succeed and broadband is one of those key tools. 

“We already know that the availability of ICT is a major factor in delivering the best education services. Pupil access to the internet is associated with 10 GCSE points (at Key Stage 3) and losing access to a computer is associated with a reduction of up to 20 GCSE points. In the longer term young people will need reliable high speed broadband to access online activities such as Virtual Learning Environments, Parental Online Reporting, online Diplomas and extended schools activities.”