Warwickshire council invests £3m for faster broadband

An extra £3m is being invested by Warwickshire County Council to get faster internet access for the county.

The money will go towards matching the £4.07m promised by the government body overseeing the roll-out of superfast broadband across the country.

Councillor Alan Cockburn said: "Superfast broadband is an absolutely essential technology for our rural communities."

He said roll-out of high speed broadband could begin in 2013.

The council has also committed an additional £500,000 for the costs associated with running the project.

The balance of the funding will be provided by Coventry City Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and the five districts and boroughs within Warwickshire.

Councillor Cockburn said: "Our draft local broadband plan has been submitted and, subject to approval, the project team expect to be ready to start the procurement phase of the project by July this year, with roll-out of the enabling infrastructure commencing in 2013."