Superfast Broadband

Superfast Broadband (SFBB)  Audlem Parish Council representatives (together with representatives from Burleydam) recently met with Connecting Cheshire about the next steps in the process of getting SFBB.

At this meeting a map was presented which shows that almost all of Audlem (and Burleydam) lie within the 90% of Cheshire to be covered by the main government funded roll-out of Superfast Broadband.

There is an extra funding process from which areas not covered by the 90% can apply for funding from a different source for SFBB, but this application is dauntingly complicated, potentially expensive and by no means certain of success.

The PC SFBB sub-committee, led by Phil Johnson, has therefore sent a letter to Chris Capes of Connecting Cheshire, with copies to Rachel Bailey, Michael Jones (leader of Cheshire East Borough Council) and Stephen O'Brien, MP, asking for urgent confirmation that Audlem does indeed sit securely within the 90% to be covered by the main roll-out.

The text of the letter is

#Letter to Connecting Cheshire 
"You will be aware that DEFRA has accepted our Expression of Interest (EOI) bid and we have been invited to prepare a full application for grant funding from the RDPE/BDUK.

"Having reviewed the documentation in detail it is now apparent that the latest information available shows that Audlem is actually within the 90% of communities which will be included in the roll out. Since this is in variance with what we have previously been led to believe we require speedy confirmation that Audlem is indeed in the roll out plans.

"We can see no justification, either technical or commercial, for Audlem to be excluded from the roll out . You will understand that we do not wish to commit public money which, inevitably, will be significant in preparing a bid which turns out to be unnecessary.

"We look forward to a speedy response."

#Register interest in SFBB 
It is still very important that Audlem residents continue to register their interest in Broadband, so the banner headline and quick link for registering will shortly be put back at the top of the home page on Audlem Online – please make sure that you have registered if you have not already done so (and of course assuming that you believe that quicker connection speeds would be a good thing).

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