As many of you will be aware, last month’s Social Media Cafe attracted a lot of discussion around the Government’s Digital Britain report – an action plan intended to secure the UK’s place at the forefront of innovation, investment and quality in the digital and communications industries.
As a group many of us felt that the report just didn’t go far enough, and in fact many felt it would not put us in a competitive position for the future. A focus for this concern was our own local situation with uncertaintly about what plans, if any, were in place for Cornwall.
To help us get the answers we need we are delighted to have Nigel Ashcroft, Director of NGA (Next Generation Access) for Cornwall and colleague and NGA Development Manager, Julian Cowans at the next meeting to answer your questions.
So far questions have been a bit light off the ground and we are keen to maximise on this exciting opportunity to gain insight from those in charge of our digital future here in Cornwall. At the bottom of this post I have copied the questions recieved so far through the EventBrite bookings. Please take a look and add your own questions to the the comments at the end of this post.
For more information or to help jog your memory why not refer to the Digital Britian report, the details of discussions at the previous Social Media Cafe or read the final feedback report submitted by the Digital Britain Unconference team available through the linked text.
We look forward to seeing you at the next event on Tuesday 16th June – Don’t forget to book your free ticket online here.
Questions received so far…
- Please can you give details of the speed of broadband Cornwall can realistically expect, and by when?
- Why do broadband speeds vary so much mine goes from 960 to 5300 download and but are constant at 368 upload?
- What are the different types of technologies being considered and what are the related speeds/throughputs/performance of each?<
- What effect do you think it will have on Cornwall and it’s economy to not gain Next Generation Access broadband?
- Do you have any evidence of how Next Generation Access Broadband would help Cornwall’s economy?
I have four questions:
1) Any case studies of how rural businesses in Cornwall and the Scillies have been able to take advantage of the first-gen broadband access provided by actnow?
2) Will rural businesses potentially lose out if towns and cities move to NGA and leave rural areas behind? If so, in what ways?
3) What is the proposed funding model for the NGA rollout in Cornwall? How likely is it that an investor will be found?
4) Does actnow have any research that shows any relationship between broadband access and environmental impact (e.g. if there is universal broadband access, do people travel less?)
Thanks!
Fiona
Broadband is only one aspect of digital communications that is negitively affecting Cornwall Businesses.
The main BT network ends in Exeter as far as the southwest is concerned, with a spur to Plymouth which then supplies Cornwall. This means that Cornish Businesses have to pay a large premium for lease line technology (Broadbands big brother) and other high end digital services. This, along with the fact that many Cornish Businesses are rurally based, leaves us at a distinct disadvantage when trying to sell our services to the major cities. (Has anyone even attempted to do a quality video conference from here)?
Fibre to Cabinet is the logical next step in allowing Cornwall to compete on a level playing field, as well as having a positive effect on the environment.
There is an immediate need for drastic improvement in digital/transport and communication infrastructure, if the Convergence aim of improving the overall economy of the region is to be achieved.
Gordon Brown has come out today on Times Online at http://tinyurl.com/nhu246, about how the internet is as vital as Gas and Water. Again we are being treated as consumers and not producers. When will sustainability, disability access to work and services, flexible working, rural business and a myriad of other talking points be brought into the debate. In this article he mentions the internet and then the issue about Channel 4 as if they are connected. As if the internet is just another media channel. This is just another moment when he just does not get it.
[...] Cornwall Social Media Café meet tonight (Tuesday) for a timely discussion of Digital Britain report.Details, bookingThe Future of Broadband for Cornwall [...]
I am afraid as a previous commenter said that govt simply have not ‘got it’. For GB to say that they are providing next gen access for high speed broadband is simply not true. Only the cities will have anything like that. The rural areas are fobbed off with 2 megabit USC which is inadequate now, let alone in 2012. Come the olympics we could be a laughing stock.
A 2 meg connection will allow 4 people to use Iplayer at once. Most lines are contended to 70:1. Isps only open up another line when people start screeching at them. The other 64 people fall off, or the ISP throttles the streamers down.
Cornwall is the same as our rural location, too far from a point of presence to be able to afford to join a fibre route. Fibre runs through our fields, but we can’t get access. It costs £76k to join at the nearest town, plus fixed costs. (they won’t tell us what they are) plus £64k a year for 3 year contract. For 23 rural homes/businesses it is too much.
We have just completed the first FTTH deployment in a rural area in the north west. It cost roughly £1k per property and covered 1.2 km.
We coupled it up to a wireless feed. no adsl near enough.
We call it JFDI. Just Farmers Doing IT
Keep up the good work and keep raising your heads above the parapet. One day a government will act. But not this one from the looks of it.
keep rockin.
chris