East Sussex targets universal fibre broadband in two years

Super-fast fibre optic broadband should be available to everyone in East Sussex within the next two years, according to county council leader Peter Jones.

The local authority has pledged to exceed the £10.6 million of funding from the government to improve broadband connectivity in the area, taking the total public investment in the project to almost £26 million.

Mr Jones said he is eager for the public and private sectors to work together in order to fulfil his ambition for universal super-fast broadband access, but admitted the task of rolling out the technology to everyone in two years would be a challenge.

However, he expressed confidence that the majority of upgrades will be complete by this time.

"I also want to ensure that our rural areas and other parts of the county that could be hard to reach ... will be on the priority list for this upgrade," the council chief added.

Ofcom figures show just three per cent of homes in East Sussex currently have super-fast broadband access.