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Yesterday the East Midlands Development Agency issued a press release about grants that rural communities and businesses can bid for to support “in upgrading existing Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) infrastructure, and enable the early use of next generation solutions”. For the full press release

£400k RDPE funding to support rural broadband

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) has today launched a £400,000 fund to help rural communities and businesses get connected to 21st century broadband technology. The funding has come from the European Union which approved a European Economic Recovery Plan (EERP) last year to help reduce the impacts of the recession.

emda has been awarded £400,000 through the EERP to invest in rural broadband initiatives through the existing Rural Development Programme for England, which it manages on behalf of the region. This funding will be used to support rural communities in upgrading existing Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) infrastructure, and enable the early use of next generation solutions.

As Andrew Morgan, emda’s Skills and Communities Director, explained:

Digital technologies and the underlying networks are critical to any modern economy, and will play a major role in boosting productivity and steering Britain out of recession. But the quality of broadband in many rural parts of the East Midlands is threatening competitiveness and could inhibit future sustainable economic development. This funding will help to address the problem, and we are keen to support projects that address market failure, improve local services and stimulate economic development and social inclusion.

Broadband continues to be an important issue at a national level, and the Coalition Government has stated its commitment to ensuring that all parts of the UK have access to a minimum broadband speed of two megabits (mbps) per second. It is important that we play our part in ensuring rural communities have the same broadband opportunities as those in urban areas.

To apply for funding, applicants need to complete an expression of interest form by Monday 13th September 2010. Due to the limited funding available, expressions of interest will not be considered for projects which already have access to regular broadband speed of over two mbps. Projects that meet the criteria for funding will then be required to complete a full application form. Guidance and all the relevant paperwork are available on www.emda.org.uk/rdpe or contact Lucy Pike (Economic Development Manager) on 0115 988 8477 / lucypike@emd.org.uk for further information.

The launch of the £400,000 rural broadband fund follows on from an emda-hosted event held earlier this year which brought together 80 key stakeholders from across the East Midlands to explore the digital issues facing rural communities and businesses. At the event, public and private sector delegates put forward their views about how the East Midlands could shape its approach to ensuring access to affordable, next generation, super-fast broadband in rural areas. The feedback from this event has been used in setting the criteria for accessing the £400,000 rural broadband fund. It has also helped to shape a new rural broadband manifesto, which sets out an agenda for future activity. The manifesto is available in the document section of www.emda.org.uk .