More than half a million prospective rural broadband subscribers could be losing out because of the lack of available coverage. With around one million enterprises, and proportionately more self-employed people in rural areas, the lack of broadband ...
Countryside Agency Archive

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Superhighway closed to rural markets - 11/9/03

More than half a million prospective rural broadband subscribers could be losing out because of the lack of available coverage. With around one million enterprises, and proportionately more self-employed people in rural areas, the lack of broadband will increasingly damage their ability to compete, says Richard Wakeford, chief executive of the Countryside Agency.

Launching a best practice study Broadband in rural areas at a seminar in London today (Thursday 11 September) Mr Wakeford told delegates: “With broadband suppliers unlikely to get all the UK online, it is up to rural communities to work together with funding partners and suppliers to get themselves on to the superhighway.

“Currently only 7% of villages are linked up to broadband, but with the right know-how rural communities can, and do, create their own broadband supplies. To help them the Countryside Agency has commissioned a best practice study with case studies and details of how to develop partnerships and get funding.

“Broadband is vital if we are to help many rural areas regenerate and survive. Broadband allows local businesses access to markets and services, provides better training opportunities for local people, stimulates the growth of community organizations and encourages young people to stay within their own communities,” he concluded.

The Countryside Agency is monitoring the development of broadband in rural areas and provides advice to national and regional policy makers. As part of this we report on broadband coverage in our annual State of the Countryside report. Our Market Towns Healthcheck  includes questions for communities to consider on broadband need and availability. And one of our recently announced Beacon Towns - Barnard Castle in County Durham - will focus on broadband.                                                                                                            

The Countryside Agency would also like to see:

·         The Radiocommunications Agency releasing more of the wireless spectrum, and ensuring that licensees meet both rural and urban needs. In rural areas wireless may provide an affordable solution.

·         Regional broadband advisers within the Regional Development Agencies focus their efforts in rural areas and RDAs 'rural proofing' their ICT strategies.

·        Suppliers working with public sector bodies and communities to develop imaginative solutions.

And government should:

·         Set a realistic target as part of the Spending Review 2004 - with clear milestones that could be monitored and acted on.

·         Clarify State Aids regulations that could help to unlock the potential of the £1bn public investment in areas such as schools and libraries.

·         Make sure the forthcoming Regional Aggregations Boards, who will aggregate public sector demand for broadband, place a strong emphasis upon that demand to take broadband out into more rural areas.

Broadband in rural areas – best practice study can be downloaded from our website on www.countryside.gov.uk/publications or obtained (Ref CA148) from Countryside Agency Publications, PO Box 125, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7EP, Tel 0870 120 6466.   

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Notes to editors

The Countryside Agency is the statutory body working to make the quality of life better for people in the countryside and the quality of the countryside better for everyone.

Broadband in rural areas – best practice studywas written for the Countryside Agency by consultants Intercai Mondiale Limited, a management consultancy focusing on telecommunications and related industry sectors. 

Intercai Mondiale Contact: Nick Gill, nick.gill@intercai.co.uk; Tel: 01628 748470.

The latest State of the Countryside report states:

·         Broadband coverage: 95% urban, 26% Market Towns, 7% villages, 1% remote rural.

·         Business usage: 6% of rural businesses, 17% of urban businesses use broadband.

·         Videoconferencing: 15% of rural businesses, 23% in urban areas.

·         Regular personal Internet usage: 45% in rural areas, 47% in urban areas.

·         Public Internet access point availability: 54% of rural population live within 2km, 90% of urban population.

The 13 case studies:

1.Derwentside District Council 

The Council procured a broadband infrastructure for the Council’s services with additional capacity for use by the community.

2.Cumbria Lancashire Education Online (CLEO) 

CLEO is a consortium of LEAs that took advantage of the telecommunications and business skills available at Lancaster University to develop a major broadband network with both educational and community provision.

3.Alston Cybermoor

Alston Cybermoor is an example of a complete working ICT and broadband project in a small rural community with regeneration needs.

4.Edenfaster

Started in early 2002, Edenfaster is a community-based project aimed at bringing broadband and all its advantages to a rural area of Cumbria. The aim of the project is to provide an innovative broadband  service and associated applications. 

5.SEEDA Satellite Programme 

The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) has been piloting a programme of low-cost satellite broadband access, primarily in areas where ADSL is not available to facilitate access to broadband services.

6.Buckfastleigh Broadband Ltd. 

A project to address the demise of a former mill town contributing to economic revival and a greater sense of community spirit in Buckfastleigh and the surrounding rural areas, including Dartmoor.

7.Kingsbridge Community Network 

Kingsbridge Community Network has come about to bring a decent level of electronic communications to the community.

8.Bredon Hill Villages, Advantage West Midlands

The Bredon Hill Villages are in a rural area of Worcestershire with low density of population. There is however a significant demand for broadband services in the area from ICT, media and farming enterprises, schools and home workers.

9.East Riding of Yorkshire Council Broadband Network 

The ERYC Broadband Network has been under development since 1996. One of the UK’s most extensive and comprehensive integrated Broadband Networks which has successfully integrated funding from many sources.

10.Milton Keynes Broadband Network

This project is providing a wireless broadband network together with associated broadband demand aggregation in the Milton Keynes area. The Council will engage with suitably qualified and experienced partners. It will facilitate rural access, e-government and social inclusion objectives.

11.Cambridge Ring North East Broadband Network 

CARNET is a ‘not for profit’ community network, using mainly wireless technology. Driven by a combination of demand and supply working together CARNET has delivered a very workable solution. This solution is being replicated in other parts of the region.

12.New Greenham Park

The airbase on Greenham Common is being turned into a major rural business park providing a large number of business units of different types. Greenham Park Trust is keen to encourage high technology businesses and sees the provision of broadband services on the site with a broadband connection to the internet as a means of attracting such tenants. 

13.East of England Broadband Network (E2BN)

The East of England Broadband Network (E 2 B N ) is a DfES project to develop regional broadband networks, in order to improve connectivity in schools, building on the NGfL (National Grid for Learning) initiative.