Suffolk Broadband Campaign:10,000 Target

The people behind the campaign to bring better and faster broadband speeds to Suffolk are aiming for 10,000 sign ups by the end of this month.

The surveys are part of the campaign's work to help show the level of demand and likely take up of superfast broadband services in Suffolk, and to make the county an attractive place for potential bidders to invest in. 

The final date for the completion of the surveys is Saturday 31 March 2012. 

So far there have been 5,438 responses from individual households, and 1,299 from local businesses, Suffolk is now more than half way to Suffolk County Council leader Mark Bee?s target of at least 10,000 responses by the close of the campaign. 

Councillor Mark Bee, Chair of the Better Broadband for Suffolk campaign, said; 'The campaign has shown there is a genuine desire and pressing need for better broadband in Suffolk. We?ve spoken to thousands of people across the county, an overwhelming majority of which have pledged their firm backing for what we're trying to achieve.

'We're now entering the home straight for the survey so if people haven?t signed up yet, now's the time. We absolutely must demonstrate to ministers and potential suppliers that Suffolk is serious about superfast broadband? Suffolk currently has one of the poorest broadband networks in England. The average broadband speed experienced by Suffolk's consumers and small businesses is under 5Mbps. £21m of public investment has already been secured, but Suffolk needs to demonstrate strong public demand so potential suppliers choose to bid for the contract. 

Andy Wood, Adnams chief executive and chair of the New Anglia local enterprise partnership, said; 'Suffolk businesses have responded fantastically to the better broadband campaign but that doesn?t mean we can let up in our efforts to demonstrate the real demand that?s out there. There are well over 25,000 businesses in Suffolk, many of which could benefit from superfast broadband.'

On 9 March 2012, the Better Broadband for Suffolk campaign will be hosting a conference at the Apex Centre in Bury St Edmunds to discuss plans for the rollout of the programme. This important event will host 250 people from across Suffolk, including MPs, business and public sector representatives.