Edinburgh submits 'super-connected city' plan
Edinburgh City Council (ECC) has submitted plans to bring high-speed broadband to the vast majority of the city's homes and businesses.
It has handed the government a proposal that includes installing wireless hotspots in squares, streets and parks across the city.
The scheme, which was announced earlier in the year, would give broadband access to 90 per cent of Edinburgh's population by 2015.
A funding announcement is due from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in September and Edinburgh is expected to receive between £8 million and £11 million for the project.
It is part of the wider Super-Connected Cities Initiative, which is backed by £100 million of funding and will see ten cities around the UK, including Newcastle and Manchester, benefit from fast broadband access.
Councillor Alasdair Rankin of the finance and resources department at ECC said increasing broadband access across Edinburgh will help it "compete with the world's top digital cities".
"This funding will help the city to attract new jobs and investment, help unemployed people into work or learning and will greatly enhance our offering as a digitally inclusive city," he remarked.
