Broadband comes to Northlew - at last!

A local village community has heaped praise on Devon County Council and West Devon Borough Council for their help in connecting them to Broadband.

Since October 2008, Northlew has been trying to get a Broadband connection in the village, but the project has been beset with continual delays over the installation of the digital cable and funding.

Devon County Council has stepped in to ensure the necessary closure of Crowden Road can take place from today (Monday 14th December) to 16th December to allow the cable to be laid. Broadband will then go live in the village.

Christopher Marson, one of the Directors of Northlew Community Broadband, said: “I shall be singing the praises of Devon County Council and West Devon Borough Council for many years to come. This project is of course a small cog in a big wheel of funding and installation across Devon, we need to and are showing the whole country how forward thinking this borough is, a shining example of best practice and how we can pull together and make things happen from the community right the way up to the Chief executive we have shown there is no such word as can't."

Councillor James McInnes, Leader of West Devon Borough Council and Devon County Councillor for Hatherleigh and Chagford, said: “This is a key project for Northlew. It will benefit many businesses and residents in the area. Rural communities are feeling cut off from the outside world and this is a fine example of how communities can make a difference with targeted grant funding. The whole community have raised a considerable financial contribution to this project, and had much fun and enjoyment in the village in the process.”

Earlier this year Devon County Council asked businesses and communities across the county to recount their experience of internet connection in order to map broadband access across the county to pinpoint areas with no or poor broadband coverage.

The Government wants every household in Britain to receive a 2Mbps broadband service by 2012, but currently up to 20% of broadband lines in the SW receive less than 2Mbps.