Maria Miller, MP for Basingstoke and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, was the keynote speaker at a Rural Broadband Conference in Winchester on 22 March. The Conference was organised jointly by the Country Land & Business Association (CLA) and the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership.

The Conference focussed on broadband plans for Hampshire and the economic and social benefits of delivering superfast broadband to the rural sector. The Conference took place the day after Hampshire County Council had signed a £13.8 million deal with BT, to provide superfast broadband to at least 90% of all premises in Hampshire by the end of 2015, and to ensure that everyone else has access to at least 2 megabits per second broadband.

Maria’s speech outlined the Government’s investment programme of £1.2 billion of public money, working in partnership with industry, to achieve a transformation in the UK’s broadband network. Maria said:

“The changes we are making will reinforce the UK’s position as a leading digital economy, and will be a major driver of local jobs and national growth.”

Commenting on the latest developments in Hampshire, Maria said:

“This is brilliant news. This ambitious project is going to deliver superfast broadband to more than 57,000 businesses and homes in Hampshire. The UK already does more business online than any other European country, and widespread access to superfast broadband will provide a tremendous boost to Hampshire’s local economy.”