Working together to bring high speed broadband providers to Herefordshire and Gloucestershire

‘Living in a beautiful rural area is wonderful’. High-speed broadband is essential for the future for businesses, for families and for communities. We've received an allocation of the £530m Government funding to help encourage commercial broadband providers to bring fast broadband to rural Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. THE ISSUE… Current connectivity is an issue for our communities in rural Gloucestershire and Herefordshire - with low level and inconsistent broadband speeds. High-speed broadband is essential for the future improvement of local communities and businesses. BUT… We need to prove to the infrastructure providers that it makes sound commercial sense to bring fast broadband into heart of our rural communities.

WHY… Support local businesses trade nationally and globally. Support those wanting to work from home Bring movies, music and games of your choice into your home Assist with bringing online ‘telephone’ services; keeping in touch; researching shopping deals and cutting household bills Equal access to the very best learning and training opportunities Help our health services reach out to more people and breaking down rural isolation Make your home easier to sell! (homes with fast broadband can be more appealing to buyers)

LOCAL LEVEL: Improving broadband provision, by attracting investment and stimulating the market is a high priority for Herefordshire Council, Gloucestershire County Council and GFirst, the Local Enterprise Partnership for Gloucestershire NATIONAL LEVEL: Our goal is simple: within this parliament we want Britain to have the best superfast broadband network in Europe.”Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The UK Government has made a commitment for all areas of the UK to have access to broadband with a download capacity of 2Mbps by 2015

The Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Broadband Project Aim - to deliver the best, most reliable and affordable high speed broadband coverage in our rural communities One of 4 UK ‘pilots’ – rural areas in Herefordshire and Gloucestershire where private sector investment in NGA is unlikely to reach Joint initiative by Herefordshire Council; Gloucestershire County Council; GFirst, the Local Enterprise Partnership for Gloucestershire and BDUK Project Board and Team in place OJEU Procurement commenced

Objectives Improve access to a service with a minimum of 2Mb/s (USC) Improve access to a NGA service of 30Mb/s + 2Mb/s by end of 2015 NGA (30Mb/s) by end of 2018 Ensure services are ‘future proof’ i.e. have capacity for growth and changes in use Open access – must be available to all who wish to use infrastructure Competitive and consistent prices Challenges Low population density Distances from service delivery points (typically a phone exchange) Old infrastructure (household wiring) Topography – hills and woodland Evidencing consumer demand

Process Candidates submit solutions for review and assessment against agreed criteria Dialogue sessions held to explore submitted solutions Technology agnostic – we are not dictating the types of technology Promoting the use of existing infrastructure – power, exchanges, public networks Current Status & Next Stages Invitations sent to candidates to participate in dialogue sent Requests for candidates to submit Outline solutions - End Aug / Start Sept Solution submissions reviewed – October Dialogue Sessions - November / December Final assessments of Outline solutions – January 2012 Detailed submissions – February 2012 Final Tender – April / May 2012 Contract Award – May 2012

Next Steps – How You Can Help… Demand Stimulation Activities - to help prove to broadband infrastructure providers of the business case for investing in provision in our localities The Project Team working with GRCC and Fast Broadband4herefordshire Household Survey/Business Survey Recruitment of local broadband Champions in parishes/towns

Thank You, Any Questions?