Isle of Wight locals urged to support fibre broadband plans

Residents and businesses on the Isle of Wight are being urged to get behind plans to roll out fibre optic broadband across the island.

Isle of Wight Council (IWC) recently announced £3 million of funding to deliver super-fast broadband to rural parts of the island, with the government set to contribute the same amount.

However, if this match-funding is to be secured, the local authority needs to demonstrate sufficient levels of demand for fibre broadband access across the Isle of Wight.

Consequently, the council is calling for inhabitants to complete an online questionnaire featuring a variety of broadband-related queries.

David Pugh, leader of IWC, said: "One of the key aims to help the island's economy has always been to ensure as many people and places benefit from faster broadband speeds as possible wherever they are on the island."

The announcement comes shortly after BT revealed it will roll out its fibre optic broadband infrastructure to more than 31,000 homes and businesses across the Isle of Wight by the end of the year.