England turns to the church to help fix rural internet
Though our cities now teem with fiber optic cables and 4G signals, it's still common for rural areas to struggle with even basic connectivity. In the UK, a new pact between church and state could help local religious hubs become bastions of faster broadband. The National Church Institutions (NCIs) of the Church of England and the government will work together to promote the use of churches and other church-owned properties as sites for digital infrastructure, improving broadband, mobile and WiFi access for rural communities. Individual dioceses and parishes will continue to make the final call on whether it's appropriate for the local church spire to host a new 4G mini-mast or not. The NCIs will be responsible for educating decision makers on the benefits better connectivity brings to the community, and how it can provide new ways for the church to communicate with its parishioners. There could be other benefits, too, such as income for the church or an agreement to share ...