RESIDENTS and small businesses in Cumnock and the surrounding villages will have the chance to find out more about fibre broadband and the benefits it brings – thanks to a visit from the BT Showcase bus which will park at Rothesay House, Cumnock on November 27.

Thousands of homes and businesses in East Ayrshire are already able to take advantage of fibre broadband, with many more to follow, as part of the £410 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme.

Councillor Jim Buchanan, Spokesperson for Delivering Community Regeneration, East Ayrshire Council said: “Access to superfast broadband is changing lives and businesses all over Scotland. This Digital Scotland programme is a vital part in this process, enabling rural and remote communities to get faster broadband where installation might not otherwise be commercially viable. We know that many of our towns and villages have already flagged up a need for improved broadband as part of their Community Action Plans. This visit from the BT Showcase bus will enable business and community representatives and the public to come and see for themselves how it works and how they can get access to the new technology.” In Cumnock, New Cumnock, Catrine and Mauchline around 4,500 more homes are now able to receive fibre broadband thanks to the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme. To take advantage of the higher speeds now available, people should contact their Internet Service Provider.

Anyone in the local community who is interested in finding out how fibre broadband works and when it will be available can go along to an information session on board the mobile BT Showcase which will park at the East Ayrshire Council office, Rothesay House, 1 Greenholm Road, Cumnock, KA18 1LH between 10.30am and 4pm on Thursday November 27.

The BT Showcase is a specially adapted van, which features all of the equipment used in the roll-out of fibre broadband. The unique van includes equipment which is familiar to members of the public - like the new green street cabinets - as well as some of the things they don’t often see - like how fibre optic cables are ‘blown’ underground, as part of the deployment.