A COMMUNITY Benefit Society has retained its title of Best Rural Internet Service Provider at a national awards ceremony.

Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN), which has delivered gigabit full fibre broadband to more than 12,000 rural customers, took the title for the second consecutive year.

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It's further national recognition for B4RN, which helps remote, isolated communities thrive across Lancashire, North Yorkshire, Cumbria, Northumberland, and Norfolk. 

The Internet Service Providers Association Awards ceremony was held at The Landmark Hotel in London on Thursday, November 24.

B4RN chief executive officer Michael Lee said: "The rural communities that we work with are in some of the hardest to reach places in the country, but they also stand to gain the most from gigabit connectivity. A full fibre network in these rural areas doesn't just transform how people communicate today, but it can also have a significant and lasting impact on the future they, and their children, see for their communities in an increasingly digital age.

"As a Community Benefit Society, we're very pleased to be able to support our communities in other ways. B4RN delivers free service to more than two hundred community hubs like schools, village halls and places of worship; while we recently introduced our Social Tariff to further support any customer who already receives a Council Tax reduction."

B4RN's network infrastructure is buried underground, making it extremely resilient during bad weather.

The ISPA judges took into account overall service levels, packages, availability, performance and customer service.

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