Simon’s Blog (the official one)

The report on ‘Next generation Broadband’ by Francesco Caio has just been published and recognises the need for a framework that will encourage community action. Malcolm Corbett of the Community Broadband Network (CBN) summarises below. As I have said previously, it is crucial that communities are give a clear framework so that they can mobilise with confidence.

As I am sure you know earlier this year the Government commissioned a review into Next Generation broadband led by Francesco Caio, former CEO of Cable & Wireless. The review, published today [12/9/09], finds that in the ’short term the case for major government intervention is weak’ but there are no grounds for complacency - ‘government should act now to support investment in NGA (Next generation Access)’. The report goes on to recognise the big role that local communities can play in facilitating next generation broadband deployment.

CBN welcomes the report. We are very pleased that the review recommends a role for us in creating the framework in which local projects can develop and flourish. We look forward to working with government, other public sector agencies, the private sector and community organisations to help turn these recommendations into reality and thus ensure that Britain remains at the forefront of the broadband revolution.

The press release and review summary can be downloaded here

This is the key extract about local projects from the Executive Summary:

Create the conditions to favour the development of new investment models.
The construction of a new access network creates the opportunity to adopt new business and investment models and, in particular, local open access networks. There are more than 300 such schemes across Europe, and Sweden, with a quarter of its broadband provided by fibre, has 200. Some of these are funded by householders providing a high up-front installation fee, sometimes funded from additional borrowing on their mortgage, recognising the potential impact of the new infrastructure on the value of the home.

Such networks warrant attention since they can play an important part in the overall broadband picture, and there are several examples in the UK. Such developments might though be threatened by fragmentation if their technical standards are different and they therefore present a barrier to service providers to utilise their infrastructure. There are two relevant recommendations.

• Establishing standards for local NGA developments. In order to maximise the opportunities for scale deployment, local access networks across the country can organise to standardise technical requirements and present a coherent front to service providers. The Government should ask the Community Broadband Network to organise such a development.
• Directing Government support towards open access networks. Where local or regional authorities are investing in broadband, the Government should amend its guidance so that central government support is conditional on the scheme complying with the open access standard. Where they are privately funded, Ofcom should consider the introduction of a ‘must carry, must Connect’ rule, whereby local access networks cannot unreasonably refuse to carry a service provider, and service providers cannot reasonably refuse to make their service available through the local network, provided this complies with the open access standard.

Regards,
Malcolm

Malcolm Corbett
CEO
Community Broadband Network
EMail: M.Corbett@broadband-uk.coop
Phone: +44 845 456 2466
Mobile: +44 7770 896534
Skype: malcolmcorbett
Web: www.broadband-uk.coop