“The most recent figures showed that 3.3 million homes and businesses have been connected since 2010 – taking superfast broadband from 45 per cent of premises to 83 per cent.
However, ministers admit that it may be “prohibitively” expensive to connect the remaining premises, because of “demanding terrain and increased distances”.
Seven trial schemes have been set up to try to reach the “final five per cent”, using new solutions including fibre optic, satellite and wireless.
Ministers, who cut funding from £10 million to £8 million, say the results of those trials will be “published soon”, but there is no date for putting in the technology in rural areas.
Instead, David Cameron announced he would explore a Universal Service Obligation, the right to demand 10Mbps wherever you live, by 2020.
Some areas of London, Birmingham and Manchester are also projected to have large blackspots, but commercial operators are expected to plug those gaps by 2017.”
http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Homes-parts-Westcountry-missing-superfast/story-28400169-detail/story.html
Yet EDDC maintains that it can connect remaining rural areas in East Devon itself more cheaply than the Devon and Somerset Consortium.
Owl sees expensive consultants on the horizon … though no doubt the new HQ in Honiton will be super, super fast!
East Devon Watch 