Money secured for North Yorkshire high-speed broadband

Up to £16.4m of government funding has been secured to bring high-speed broadband to North Yorkshire.

The money comes as part of a pilot scheme to ensure high-speed internet access for all areas of the UK by 2017.

North Yorkshire County Council said high quality broadband was "essential" and would put the area on a level playing field with major cities.

In 2010, the government chose the county as one of four areas for the pilot scheme.

Remoteness of region

Councillor Carl Les, said: "We are determined to ensure that businesses and the people of North Yorkshire continue to thrive.

"Indeed, high-speed broadband benefits a broad demographic of people. Young people, for example, can access e-learning and a broader curriculum, often unavailable to remote, rural schools.

"It also enables technology to be used to monitor and provide care direct into individual homes, allowing people to stay independent for as long as possible".

The council said the remoteness of the region had led to limited broadband access.