A COMMUNITY centre in the Bradford district has received full-fibre broadband for free as part of a deal from a firm.
New broadband provider, brsk, has connected the Cottingley Community Centre to its next-generation full-fibre broadband completely free of charge - making good on their promise to provide a free gigabit connection to any school or centre of community importance that their fibre passes.
Brsk’s full-fibre broadband service is now live for residents in Cottingley, Bingley and Heaton They will roll out to a further 50,000 homes and businesses across Keighley and Bingley in West Yorkshire.
Helen Eteson, Cottingley Community Centre manager, said: “We’re always looking for ways to help and support the Cottingley community and it’s not often you’re given the opportunity to provide the latest in internet connectivity to your centre’s users, completely free.
“Fast Internet connectivity will be crucial in supporting our community to upskill and secure flexible and remote-working jobs.
“Anyone who uses our centre’s free WiFi or attends our computer club and IT suite will all feel the difference - and it will be a big help to all who use our services.
“The connection speeds are noticeably faster than what we are used to.”
Beyond IT classes and community connectivity, the Cottingley Community centre has introduced fortnightly sports classes for kids, a pop-up food bank, and a hot meal delivery service for the most vulnerable and for those who are forced to self-isolate during the pandemic - making the centre’s services even more accessible during this difficult period.
Luke O’Sullivan, brsk’s Community Manager said: “The Cottingley Community Centre provides crucial support and opportunities for people in Cottingley and the surrounding areas.
“Helen’s done a fantastic job in expanding the assistance on offer, so we’re grateful that we’re able to aid her and the centre in their work. We look forward to connecting more schools and centres in Bingley."
Giorgio Iovino, Brsk founder and CEO, said: “I have seen first hand how gigabit-capable broadband can create opportunities for people, even more so in a pandemic environment - from working remotely, to learning new skills online.
“Unfortunately, not everyone has the equipment at home to take advantage of full fibre broadband, so we promised to provide free ultrafast broadband to any school or community centre we pass - and the Cottingley Community Centre is the first to have taken us up on that offer.”
The UK has one of the lowest rates of access to full-fibre Internet in Europe, primarily due to a reliance on part-copper cabling rather than ultra-fast full fibre optic cable. Because of this, the UK suffers from lower-than-average speeds and fares worse in terms of value for money, coming 23rd of the 29 countries in Europe and was ranked 81st worldwide. This has been compounded by well-known broadband brands that have failed to invest in broadband infrastructure for areas like Cottingley, Bingley and Keighley - leaving many with unreliable connectivity that’s prone to outages.
Brsk’s first domestic customers are already connected in Cottingley, Bingley and Heaton. The expansion of their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network is underway to connect all homes and businesses in Keighley, Bingley and parts of Heaton and Daisy Hill in West Yorkshire.
Brsk says the investment will deliver full-fibre broadband to nearly 50,000 homes and businesses across the surrounding areas. Homes are notified if works will affect their street by letterbox drops. The company is also engaging with the local community and councillors to keep residents informed about the progress of the project. Go to brsk.co.uk for more information
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