Have your say on superfast broadband coverage

Published Tuesday, 14th May 2019

Hartlepool Borough Council is working with partner councils as part of the Digital Durham programme to improve broadband infrastructure. 

Digital Durham is working to provide superfast broadband in the council areas of County Durham, Gateshead, Sunderland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar and Cleveland). It works in partnership with Broadband Delivery (BDUK), which is part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Digital Durham contracts with suppliers who receive public funding to provide superfast broadband in areas where it is either not available or included in any future commercial plans. Significant investments have already been made with Hartlepool Borough Council funding, Tees Valley Combined Authority and central government match funding. Decisions on where public funding can be spent are made following consultation and state aid approval as part of an Open Market Review. 

The public consultation stage of the Open Market Review is now open. This primarily gives broadband wholesale providers an opportunity to comment on the classifications that have been allocated to areas from the data they have supplied.  It also gives residents, businesses and communities a chance to review, comment or query the current and planned coverage.

Durham County Council is the lead body for the Digital Durham programme. Information on the consultation and how to respond can be found on its website by clicking here.