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<p>Good progress has been made in the Batley and Spen constituency, with over 98%
of premises able to access superfast broadband according to Thinkbroadband - up from
41% in January 2012. Furthermore, over 68% of premises have access to ultrafast services
(greater than 100Mbps) and over 21% have access to gigabit services (1,000Mbps). Virgin
Media are currently upgrading their network and the department estimates that over
67% of the constituency will have access to gigabit speeds by the end of 2021.</p><p><strong>
</strong></p><p>In the Kirklees metropolitan area, over 98% of premises have access
to superfast broadband, which is up from 59% in January 2012. Furthermore, over 72%
have access to ultrafast services (greater than 100Mbps) and over 23% have access
to gigabit services (1,000Mbps). Virgin Media are currently upgrading their network
and the department estimates that over 65% of Kirklees will have access to gigabit
speeds by the end of 2021.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>For those rural premises
in Batley and Spen and wider Kirklees that are still suffering from slow speeds, DCMS
runs the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) that can be used by rural communities
across the UK to reduce the cost of installing gigabit-capable connectivity. This
provides a voucher worth up to £3,500 for eligible small businesses and vouchers worth
up to £1,500 for residents. More details are available here: <a href="https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/"
target="_blank">https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/</a>. To date across West Yorkshire,
homes and small businesses have requested 1,133 vouchers totaling £2.8 million, including
30 from constituents in Batley and Spen.</p><p> </p>
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