Is Lincolnshire falling behind in broadband connectivity?

In an era where school curriculums now include emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, having easy access to the web is more important than ever. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for some parts of Lincolnshire with rural villages and hamlets becoming seemingly disadvantaged.

Coun Ian Fleetwood voiced his concern about the county’s potential digital divide during a recent Lincolnshire Council environment and economy scrutiny committee meeting.

He said some Lincolnshire villages have as many ‘notspots’ – areas without internet service – as they do residents connected to the web.

He said: “It’s unfair for people within the county who have to go through an awful amount of trouble to get a fairly basic function in life now.”

This claim was substantiated by a recent Uswitch study, which found Brant Road, Waddington, was among the 10 streets with the slowest broadband in the UK, with a 0.4 megabits per second download speed on average.

Over the coming years, multiple projects aim to bring gigabit-capable broadband to rural areas deemed non-commercially viable by existing providers.

Project Gigabit

Project Gigabit is the government’s flagship £5 billion programme, aiming to bring high-speed connectivity to properties in remote communities and areas with poor connectivity.

The government’s target is to make gigabit broadband available nationwide by 2030, with 85 per cent coverage by 2025.

Stephen Brookes, council broadband programme manager, said, in tandem with the government scheme, the authority is examining various strategies to tackle the remaining 15 per cent of county premises with subpar broadband coverage.

To achieve this, it might be necessary to consider alternatives to fibre technology. One such possibility could involve discussions with SpaceX founder Elon Musk about using his Starlink satellites, which have already started to offer faster communication speeds than land-based broadband in some locations.

Coun Ian Carrington, committee chairman, said: “For most people, it might well be fibre is the right thing, but when we move into the deep countryside, businesses and houses will need a more appropriate technology.”

Project Gigahub

Project Gigahub, funded by Building Digital UK, aims to provide full fibre connectivity to publicly owned rural buildings such as schools, surgeries and emergency service stations.

Commercial providers will be encouraged to upgrade adjacent communities from these hub sites.

Initially, the council’s broadband team identified 185 sites across Lincolnshire that could benefit from the scheme. However, BDUK has since reduced the number to 62, reasoning the removed sites were likely to be covered under Project Gigabit.

Looking ahead

With these two significant projects, along with the substantial commercial investment the county has seen in recent years, it is evident steps are being taken to enhance Lincolnshire’s digital infrastructure.

Mr Brookes said: “Project Gigabit is to deal with the last 15 per cent of premises across the UK and that in itself tells you we’re not behind the rest of the world.

“It probably seems that way to people that can’t get online, but we certainly aren’t the worst.”

Coun Carrington said: “We’re dealing with the last knockings. We know it is the most difficult, but we will get there, as it is essential if rural parts of our county are to have a future.”