Kevan Jones has welcomed the annoucement by BT of the expansion of high-speed fibre broadband to twelve more North East communities, including Beamish. The upgradfe will take place by the end of Spring 2014.
Mr. Jones said, “I am very pleased to hear the Beamish has been included on the latest list of communties who will benefit from the roll out of BT’s high speed broadband. I am sure this will prove a huige benefit to local residents and businesses, not least Beamish Museum.”
Farooq Hakim, BT’s North East regional director, said: “This latest investment is a major vote of confidence in the future success of the North East. It will be a key part of our economic revival as we finally shrug off the effects of the downturn and create a better, more prosperous future.
“Fast, sophisticated communications are the cornerstone of a successful community, helping local people to build their skills and knowledge and encouraging the creation of new businesses and jobs. This exciting technology will transform on-line education, training and leisure for households and enhance the competitiveness of local firms.
“BT has now announced plans to make fibre broadband available to more than 735,000 North East homes and businesses. Reaching that target will be a substantial achievement, but we want to go much further by working with the public sector to bring this exciting technology to more challenging areas.”