Isle of Wight council cabinet members have announced that they want BT to get the superfast broadband contract.
Last night the cabinet voted in favour of giving BT a contract which would see 99 per cent of the island getting connected to superfast broadband by September 2015.
The cabinet’s vote is a recommendation and a full council rubber stamp will be needed before BT can take the key and stick it in the ignition.
The Isle of Wight’s BDUK (Broadband Delivery for the UK) project was delayed when councillors decided to defer the decision to award BT the contract.
As BT is the only remaining company left in the BDUK bidding race, it’s a foregone conclusion that it would get the contract. Despite this, councillors didn’t think that the project represented great value for money and wanted more time to consider other options.
BT has already connected 37,000 homes and businesses in the Isle of Wight to superfast FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) connections. It’s done so as part of a £2.5 billion scheme that aims to connect two thirds of UK locations to fibre-based broadband by Spring 2014.
Giving BT the BDUK contract would see it roll out connections to 99 per cent of the island, with the possibility of this increasing to full 100 per cent coverage should the council decide to reinvest any money left over.
A BT spokesperson told Recombu Digital that the company is keen on working with the Isle of Wight council to bring high speed fibre broadband to as many places as possible. The cabinet vote suggests that the Isle of Wight will start work with BT soon, but until the council officially approve plans, no surveying or digging can take place.
Image: AndyRobertsPhotos/Flickr
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