Gringley’s fast web giveaway

Internet service provider Three and the Countryside Alliance have announced the launch of a project aimed at getting people online in rural areas of poor internet speeds.

Called the Rural Broadband Working Group, the initiative will see the operator work with local politicians and the Countryside Alliance to identify rural broadband ‘not-spots’ and give away around 4m MBs of free connectivity.

The first village to receive free connectivity is Gringley-on-the-Hill, near Gainsborough. The village of around 750 people suffers poor quality access to fixed line broadband services. Now, Gringley is set to get around 30 mobile broadband dongles and MiFi devices, and some of these will provide access in the local pub and community centre.

Chairman of the Gringley-on-the-Hill Parish Council Hugo Dunkley said: “We had written to the House of Lords, our local MP, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and even a large fixed-line provider about the lack of comprehensive broadband in the community, but with no success. Mobile broadband has addressed this problem and the dongles are allowing the people and businesses of the village to use the Internet to its full potential.”