Fibre to the home UK - Fibrevolution

Outside In is Essential

2012-01-18T21:43:00.000Z

Even in 2012, we continue to see half-hearted attempts by local authorities, government and telcos in addressing the rural broadband problem and the deprivation it continues to inflict. Even comprehending the issues the lack of connectivity is causing, let alone the solutions, appears to be beyond the wit of man if you believe some of the latest thinking coming out of local and central govt.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

I've just returned fom a drive along the Mallerstang Valley where not a single property has anything approaching broadband, despite NWDA wasting £60k on a non-functional wireless solution (on top of the abject failure that was Project Access) to try to live by the spin that Project Access actually achieved *anything*.

I know that particular road well - my parents live and work at the other end of it. I know where mobile coverage starts and ends to the foot, and I know the plight of the Parish Council during the last 8+ years in trying to get BASIC communications into that population. And not just the permanent population but also the transitory one who pass through in ever-growing numbers along the Settle Carlisle railway.

For railway buffs, not only is Outhgill graveyard a striking and heart rending reminder of those who lost their lives building a railway through this deeply inhospitable landscape, but near the Moorcock Inn an entire train is buried after one of three horrendous crashes on this section of railway line. (See this S and C Tribute for more info). As I (and many others such as Libby Bateman, our local Digital Hero) have previously said, if back in 1867 they could build an entire railway, with mind-blowing viaducts and bridges, surely we can lay some 9 or 14mm fibre??

I proposed a solution at least 6 years ago to solve the Garsdale and Mallerstang problem, which revolved around the railway and the GX fibre plus wireless where the fibre dig was going to be prohibitively expensive - a few homes up Grisedale and a couple hidden from a wireless signal. As ever, the workable solution which involved the community and a little ingenuity was dismissed outright by the NWDA and a potential public, private, community partnership binned in favour of a purely private (but publicly funded) solution which subsequently has proven to be a waste of money. Sound familiar?

At the start of this week, one of the householders near the Mallerstang (which is very close to where Lambing Live was filmed last spring) rang asking if I had 270m of spare fibre or duct. I personally generally carry slightly less than this around in my pocket, so several unanswered calls later to suppliers and a chance conversation with Chris Conder (about where our lives were vanishing in helping solve problems for free when there are millions in the public purse to find solutions) tracked down some community owned armoured fibre. Within literally a few hours, that fibre had been purchased and was wending its way back to be laid in the ground within hours of that first call. No committees, no incomprehensible DEFRA forms, no negotiating with councils or BDUK, no State Aid concerns - just action. True JFDI, and the job is now done whilst the trench was open. Hours, not months or even years later.

On driving down the Mallerstang this evening, it became obvious how many of those disconnected properties are businesses, struggling like hell to survive off the natural tourist trail, far from services, on a road which I know from experience is often omitted from any gritting programme in winter, and yet who have created a diverse community with huge potential and initiative. The Digital Dales logo was created there by a brilliant graphic designer, there are B & Bs, holiday cottages, a company which makes cakes, an architect, forestry, and who knows what other exciting rural businesses. Oh yes, and farms. The lifeblood of rural communities.

What is being proposed for this and similar rural and remote communities to follow the unsuccessful wireless network and to regenerate this tiny but vital rural area? Well, until Rory Stewart and Tim Farron decided to throw their weight behind the rural mobile broadband need, it was satellite. In fact, it is only in the last few days and weeks that "hard to reach areas" in Cumbria even got a sniff at upgraded 3G and the 4G trials, and even now it seems that the pilot projects in Cumbria will be the first to benefit rather than those in most need like the Mallerstang, and the many similar valleys around rural England who currently have NOWT in the way of acceptable communications.

We all know that necessity is the mother of invention. We celebrate the Keep Calm and ... Bury Fibre mentality at every opportunity. Yet, we are failing to support the communities who can put this into action and create the reality which will change all of our lives. These communities can substantially reduce costs in fibre lay, and are willing to grant wayleave as long as the community retains ownership of that fibre and it is not gifted to some greedy corporate or similar who wishes to screw the community forever more. The benefits of community FTTH approaches are regularly and increasingly logged worldwide as THE SOLUTION. However, instead we would seem to prefer to create bureaucratic hurdles at every opportunity, hold infinite meetings, and relegate those furthest from civilisation and services to be "outsiders" for as long as possible.

Subjecting these people to the ignominy of being unable to access even the most basic of online services, let alone innovate and explore the potential of individuals, communities, businesses, is a cardinal and inexcusable sin that should cause sleepless nights (or, IMHO, far worse) throughout Westminster and every single 'corridor of power'. For the townies who think we all make lifestyle choices about where we live, these rural citizens have in many instances been residents for generations and are often as hefted ('heafed' or 'heughed' in my bit of the Dales) and are as vital to the well-being of the land as the sheep and walls and heather. Not transient but permanent. As old as t'hills, almost literally.

It is far beyond the time where thrifty communities and individuals should be allowed access to pots of money which telcos deem insufficient to even write a viability study or get out of bed for, let alone lay fibre and connect people, despite fast-growing proof that communities can JFDI with the money that is available, whilst telcos and local authorities simply cannot.

Happy 2012 and welcome to Hope

2012-01-06T02:21:00.000Z

Happy FTTH to all and may 2012 be the year that every single one of you fight tooth and nail to get it. First things first though... a warm welcome .......

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

It has been a very long time in the waiting for this young lady to arrive............ at 3.43pm UK time on 5th Jan 2012, (just before the Three Kings were due to show up), Hope was 'unzipped' with a weight of 6lb 12oz. This post is simply to add our congratulations to the thousands to our dearest friend Ellie Stoneley, her daughter Hope, and husband Roy so they know we are all wishing them the very best today, tonight, tomorrow and from now on.

Ellie (and Roy, obviously!) showed what a little fusion can do, and after the longest pregnancy in history for some of us, which has resulted in a massive reduction of the global candle mountain, we are all delighted to share in the joy that has come from welcoming Hope into the big wide world.

Many of us have been following #unbornbaby and The Spaniard and Ellie's blog. The strength evident in those posts and tweets, and shared unselfishlessly with so many of us, will help many to live our lives for the right reasons too over the coming months and years. A hearty thank you for allowing us the privilege to share in the courage shown, and also to those who have been on the sidelines through this experience. Especially all at the Rosie who we should probably inundate with flowers and gratitude for their unceasing work on behalf of parents UK wide, especially over Xmas and New Year when their families undoubtedly needed them too.

Ellie is an inspiration and friend to many of those here and across the community regeneration world, as well as having some serious A list connections -it all clearly illustrates just how loved she is, globally. Actually no-one can hold a light to her, her enthusiasm, passion or commitment in the community arena. And if you know Roy from the FTTH (kerb) world, then you'll understand the love emanating from 5tth Central for this family right now.

Everyone wishes Hope, Ellie, Roy and all of the Stoneley-Gradwells the very best. Our thoughts are with you and your close and extended family. xxx

Byers Green, B4RN and Better news in 2012?

2011-12-16T12:07:00.001Z

A quick summary of this week's events, and a seasonal greeting.....

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

It would seem that community pressure does indeed force BT to succumb. Byer's Green, one of the villages visited by John Popham during Can't Get Online week, have been informed that, despite meeting none of BT's criteria for FTTC, the villagers are to receive the upgrade.

From The Byers Green Community Forum

Happy Christmas to all our readers.

Your Christmas present follows below.

"Following our recent meeting with BT Openreach a 'demand assessment' review of the Broadband take-up in Byers Green was commissioned. This has now been analysed by BT Openreach and they have determined that the demand is sufficient to justify the necessary investment to provide a 'fibre to cabinet' upgrade of the Byers Green service.

The current expectation is that this will be installed some time in mid 2012."

You made it possible.

The view here is that it's a shame that the community has not sought a more permanent solution that doesn't hand over all the money each month far into the future to BT, and that a community social enterprise could at least have re-spent the cash locally, but one can only hope that 100% of the community can be served with at least something better than that which is currently provided by the incumbent.

And if you are a community who has not yet been told there will be an upgrade of any flavour, Byer's Green should offer more than a glimmer of hope. And why not aim for the true target - FTTH? After all, if it doesn't prove within, say, three years that it will be viable to BT in the long-term.... well, let's say there would be some hats eaten!

B4RN

Yesterday, it was standing room only at the B4RN launch, with communities and organisations from all over the UK filling seats and floorspace, much to the bemusement of some local people who obviously hadn't quite grasped what a unique and interesting project B4RN is for so many around the country. The opening of the share offer is a major milestone for community FTTH, and 5TTH is proud to have been a part of making history. Not quite Fiver To The Home but as close as you are ever likely to come.

Barry Forde was as impressive as ever, and listening to him talking tech to Seb from ThinkBroadband during the post-event networking about Juniper, IX, etc etc was one of those moments that reinforces the conviction that B4RN is set on exactly the right route. Not a single negative report has come out. In fact, here are some of the blogs, stories, tweets etc so you can read all about it.

Pauline Rigby (Optical Reflection)

BBC Radio Lancashire

John's Popham's Live audiocast

The tweets

Brian Condon's Liveblog

Rory Cellan-Jones on the BBC Technology blog

Ian Grant on Broken Telephone

ThinkBroadband

Letters, videos and tweets of support from the Duke of Westminster, the first Google Fiber city- Kansas, EU Commissioner Neelie Kroess, Andrew Stott (Director of Digital Engagement at the Cabinet Office), ECFiber in Vermont, Dave Isenberg, and many, many others show just how much goodwill there is towards the success of this project. And its success may well raise many questions about the BDUK process during 2012......

However, there are those for whom the green eyed monster is showing because this FTTH, community led, 100% community benefit solution is now fully underway. Disingenuous attempts to dissuade potential investors are unlikely to work though because this is a value for money, long-term (not interim) solution where the Management Team are absolutely determined that every penny that can will stay within the community. And as has been discovered elsewhere, once the fibre goes into the ground to the first few people, communities get IT.

Share application forms can be downloaded from http://www.b4rn.org.uk so get yourself a great Xmas pressie and Buy a Bit of B4RN!

Breaking News: as I type this, Broken Telephone has published the worrying story that the VOA may be likely to further hamper efforts to lay fibre unless you are BT with a story headlined "VOA ready to bung BT billions". Not such great news.

And Finally......

Many, many thanks to everyone for the support, stories, and comments to 5TTH. There will now be a period of radio silence as family and personal commitments take precedence, even for this obsessed one! Wishing you all a very happy Christmas and New Year and let's hope that 2012 sees much more in the way of progress towards FTTH in the UK, rural and urban. And especially from communities who should not be tied to the lengthy BDUK process, the incumbent or interim solutions, and who should be allowed to innovate and deliver unhindered by bureaucracy, greed and downright short-sightedness. See the light xxLindsey

......walks away singing, "C'mon baby light my fibre"

Pensions meet broadband - mutual benefits

2011-12-06T13:46:00.000Z

Just been reading Francis Maude's statements on procurement, IT, government etc which led to the discovery of the launch of the Mutuals Information Service by the Cabinet Office yesterday. In the middle of the CW article is a reference to MyCSP - My Civil Service Pension (lucky buggers even getting a pension). MyCSP is a mutual handling, obviously, pensions so let's join the dots to broadband....

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Now, as with all things in #ThatLondon Borough of Westminster, it appears one hand doesn't know what the other is doing. But, we're used to that....

The Cabinet Office is pushing hard for the involvement of SMEs in IT procurement. Sadly, this message didn't appear to make it down the road to BDUK, who specifically excluded SMEs of any size (in fact, most companies) in the procurement. But, to give them their due, are now rapidly trying to make up for lost ground by chucking £20M at the problem and taking it to the extreme by expecting communities to become social ventureprises and expecting parishes etc to move into a world dealing with the sharks that are telcos and the throwing knives that are gap-funding grants.

We have already begun to investigate #RCBF through this blog, and it seems from today's postbag and retweets that we are not alone in our concerns.

Anyhow, onto the positive. In that article, we find reference to MyCSP which is a mutual set up and owned by three parties - the staff (read: community), the government, and a private sector company. It manages 15 million pensions, which is not far different from the 20 million households in UK of which approx 70% at present want a decent broadband connection. The government plans to roll out more of such mutual and innovative structures so here is a little suggestion.

Read this quote from Francis Maude and let's replace the word 'employees'.....

Too often there’s been a binary choice between the Government providing a service itself, or outsourcing it to the private sector. These choices have historically been driven by a belief that services have to be controlled centrally – with a one size fits all approach that has left little room for innovation.

“We are looking for more innovative ways to structure services. We know that COMMUNITIES [employees] who have a stake in their business, or take ownership of it completely, have more power and motivation to improve the service they run. They can also benefit from partnerships with private or voluntary sector organisations which can bring in capital and expertise.

“For the private sector, which can no longer expect the generous margins of the past, tapping the talent of COMMUNITIES [frontline staff] to improve efficiency will be a priority. The state too can keep a stake so that taxpayers benefit from the rising value of an improved service...."

Each of the five #RCBF models could be run in this mutually beneficial way. And should be. So should all broadband projects. It is time for every Council, civil servant, company, community and consumer to endeavour to grasp new ways of working. The old ones clearly did not and do not benefit all, whereas a mutual can. Especially when it is a mutual with stakeholders from all parties represented on the Board, as Directors etc, not a Smoke & Mirrors Mutual.

This approach would put paid to all the greed currently rife in broadband, and which is about to explode yet further as consultants, telecom laywers, private companies etc seek to slaughter the cash cow that this tranche of broadband monies will end up supporting (rather than actual delivery) if we are not careful.

It's not just about money though. (Although you'd think it was all about money the way some people unceasingly mouth off about it). What it would be nice to see is some goodwill, collaboration and co-operation for the common good and mutual benefit. Especially at this time of year.

For more info on Mutuals, the website was launched yesterday http://mutuals.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/

RCBF

2011-12-05T09:12:00.000Z

The Rural Community Broadband Fund has been launched with £20M in the pot. The discussions are now ensuing, particularly on Twitter, about how this will work. We have a few questions too....

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

There are now so many pots of money flying around for rural and urban broadband that it is incredibly easy to get confused. And that's those of us in the know. For those new to the party, it's difficult to believe that it's going to be possible to navigate the acronyms, processes etc and arrive at the correct, long term, sustainable solution, rather than just endeavour to spend the money on sticking plasters. And probably fail.

It would be fantastic if all of us who had campaigned so long and so hard for rural broadband to receive attention (and funding) were right now sitting here cheering that progress was being made. But the reality is that this is all looking like a right royal cock up that is being rushed through with little thought to what actually should be being done. But, no doubt, those who believe they are right will continue unchecked, without listening to those on the ground who can see the problems that this could all cause.

The places where the problems are going to occur are not in well-funded offices with annual budgets due to be renewed in April, but in hard-pushed communities already struggling to stay afloat and suffering volunteer fatigue, as government pushes its problems out of its departments and the civil service into the hands of the overtaxed and unpaid public.

So, with a quick background first, we have questions.....

RCBF comes from Defra and is from the Rural Development Program for England pot. It is aimed specifically at rural areas who qualify in the Final 10% (although this on the whole has not been defined by anyone yet) and community projects. (Unlike the £100M the other day, which is for urban projects, and is a slice of the £530M taken from the BBC License Fee and which was intended for the Final Third).

The reality is that all of this money, even with a zero added, is not sufficient for the task. But, instead of trying to do a few areas well with the money we have, we are slicing and dicing the pots into such small amounts that we are going to end up doing nowhere properly. Any business run in this way would be on its knees in a few months, probably weeks.

Currently, there is an Applicant's Handbook and a 5 page Rural Community Broadband Toolkit to guide you through the maze that is designed to part communities from 75% of the project costs. Section 7 of the Applicant's Handbook includes the completely bizarre statement under Value For Money

Based on BDUK’s experience of establishing Superfast Broadband solutions (24Mbps and above) in hard to reach areas, we would expect that a Superfast Broadband connection should require an average grant aid of approximately £300 per premise enabled.

(I'm sure all of us would love to know precisely where this BDUK experience has been gained considering the current state of play with BDUK bids in this country).

Expressions of interest for the RCBF are due in between 1st Dec and 31st January 2012. Which gives you, as Pastieman69 pointed out, about one actual working day to get it together if you are an average community.

Our questions:

The applicant is fully responsible for any liabilities associated with the project, such as the clawback of grant funds (potentially plus a penalty) should the project fail to deliver against your contract.

So if the network/upgrade is deemed substandard due to contractor fault(s) the community has to pay? Even if the contractor is BT/Fujitsu? Seems to be heavily in the telcos' favour to trigger this and then move in to remedy once the community have paid in full for it.

You cannot claim for any costs incurred in advance of securing approval of any full application.

So any consultants parachuted in to work on the EOI/work towards full bid with the community would have to be paid for by the community?

You will only be able to recover expenditure once you have been able to provide evidence that you have paid for it. This means that you can only claim against actual defrayed expenditure – at a static intervention rate for each claim.

Who decides the defrayed payment rate, and what happens if suddenly the price is increased overnight?

You will therefore need to make arrangements to pay for all works up front, meaning that you will need some reserve funds or other means to "bank roll" the project.

Ok, pay for it all from within the community, and we'll give you the allocation of funds to cover the "assumption of £300 per premise and up to 50%". What returns are investors/parishes & CIC's expected to get to repay any money borrowed against the project to fund it? And, more importantly, who will actually own the infrastructure - the community or the contractor/telco used to build/connect to it?

If procuring services, you will need to comply with public procurement rules appropriate to any contracts you put out to tender, and you will need to treat all bidders transparently and equally in your procurement process(es).

If you have to talk to/go through a telco to set this all up before putting out to tender, how can it be transparent tendering if you then award them the contract? Who will pay for the tender if it has to go through TED/OJEU?

Every single cost is already known for each technology. Except ONE. Backhaul. Where is the solution for getting affordable backhaul to each and every one of the communities in the final 10% or the Final Third?

Fibre in our daily diet

2011-12-02T05:41:00.000Z

(Don't nick the graphic - ask, as it's mine - LA*).

Not for nothing have I shown up at suit-only events wearing a tshirt (and freezing for the cause) saying "Rural broadband contains nuts and fibre" - after all, it's a key message. And you can buy a shirt too, or a mug. But I'm not a mug and c'mon Innocent, BITC, Nabisco, Kellogg etc, where are you?

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Over the years (10+ now for fibre), I have spoken to every single company that has a green flash on its cereal boxes, makes fibre rich products, or tries to sell any food item on the basis of its fibre content. A few have even been ready to sponsor my conferences (like The Endgame in 2004 for new home developers looking to do FTTH - a little ahead of its time, I will now admit 7 years later, but I was right about new build and true broadband becoming Govt policy, even back then**).

But, where are you now? Why are you not leaping on to community fibre projects as the 'soap powder sponsors'? (Those sponsors who are not directly related to the product or cause, but who can see how massive the target audience is they can reach).

BT are a huge soap powder sponsor. The vast majority of BT's sponsorships (is there a list?) have nowt to do with telecoms or phones or broadband etc.

It is time for the companies who make food and fibre (wool, textiles etc) products to realise that getting in front of those who SHOP ONLINE over a decent broadband connection (not one of these poxy copper thingies I am on) will seriously appreciate fibre.

I'm willing to act as the agent to put you in touch with projects and communities needing to support fibre projects.....oh look, another idea I just gave away for free. oops. Run with it someone. Go and sit in Innocent Towers until they understand that no-one can actually watch the great links in the newsletter without a decent connection (Row, Shilpee etc should get it but they may need to look back to 2008 for the mails!).

Whoever picks this idea up, which has been floating around in my head since before we did the SABC Aviemore event (part of the Access to Broadband Campaign which laid the majority of the foundation stones for what has happened post-CUT), it won't hurt you to make a donation to Cyberbarn and buy some shares in B4RN. Instead of just constantly ripping off the good people doing all the hard work to make the way easy for you. (5-10 years later than the action was required, but we appreciate you turning up finally!)

Like I said, I'll stop ranting soon......;)

* It's hard not to take a dim view of people stealing my ideas (I put more than enough out there for free as it is) and then not even buying me a curry (Simon) or making a contribution to the twins' Paypal account. One good 'friend' has screwed me for over £50k hard cash, another 'friend' has taken me for a mug and is now being aggressive (most unQuakerly) with myself and rural communities in an attempt to line his (women don't work like this) pockets. Surely this world can't be full of thieves or money grabbing nasties? In this instance, it's just a food group, cereal packet and concept. ASK. Or donate.

** Long story, blame the Destruction of Trade and Industry for getting jittery about my actions.

B4RN is go!! :)))

2011-12-02T00:47:00.000Z

We all knew today would come, it was just when, but now it really is ALL go! Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN or Barn to its followers) has passed the required number of registrations to proceed with building a world class, gigabit, ubiquitous, community owned and run, community benefit FTTH network. And there's more....

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

There is an invite-only Launch event for the company and share offer on 15th December at 2pm at The Storey, Lancaster. This is an opportunity for potential investors and those that B4RN will be connecting to come together to meet the Management Committee, hear much more about the project, see the maps, and more. (Cyberdoyle has promised cake too!) Full details of the share offer will be given and for many it will be a chance to learn what they can do to help with the next phase. This is a hands-on community project and our network of supporters extends around the globe already. (If you would like to attend the Launch event, please let infoatb4rndotorgdotuk know ASAP as space is limited to 150 people).

Unless you have been living off-planet, you will know by now what B4RN intends to do. How we are going about doing it is undoubtedly unique, but we believe it will prove to be (and have designed the project to be) eminently replicable elsewhere. Our main aim is to connect what is (if there was a proper definition) the Final Ten Percent and disprove all these claims of rural and remote FTTH non-viability. The first 8 parishes are without a doubt in deeply rural areas. I can highlight just how rural by saying that when we were looking at which bank we should approach for the company account and/or for a loan deal for anyone looking to borrow the money at a special rate to buy shares, we realised that there wasn't actually a branch of ANY bank in the project area! (Which highlights the importance of being able to access internet banking...)

The next phase requires an incredible amount of commitment from a growing number of people so this blog may become less rant-ridden over the coming months as I am as determined as any other member of the current Management Team and the Lune Valley residents to make this succeed by throwing everything we have at it from our own skills and expertise. And it is quite a team, which you probably couldn't have headhunted if you had tried, but which I suspect reflects the enormous talent you can find in rural areas if you just look.

I am copying and pasting the text of the press release below for anyone who wishes to run with it for their own blog, local paper, news site, council etc to show just what can be done in rural areas, whatever the hype would have you believe. We continue to be as open as possible with the info we are putting out there (unlike others) so let us know if we have overlooked anything that you need to know.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 1st December 2011

Residents in North Lancashire launch Fibre Optic Broadband Company

An exciting community initiative, initially across eight parishes of rural Lancashire, to deliver a world class hyperfast fibre optic broadband network is being launched at The Storey in Lancaster on 15th December at 2pm.

Broadband has become essential for every sector of the community and increasingly important for our daily lives. Government and the large telecom companies plan to upgrade broadband to ‘superfast’ but not in many rural areas, where limited internet and mobile coverage affects businesses, homes and farms. The difficulty is reaching economic viability when private companies’ costs are so high and subscriber numbers are low.

Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN) plans to lower the costs, both in the building of the broadband network and to the end user, by using local contractors and the community. “Farmers and local people have the skillset we need for this project. They know the land and people, and have been offering to work for shares, which means the digging for the core network can start early in 2012. We expect this to be completed in approximately 3 months, weather permitting, and then we will begin to connect the first users,” stated Professor Forde. Shares will be available from 15th December - further information and application forms will be available on the B4RN.org.uk website on that date.

B4RN’s plans are for a hyperfast broadband network fit for purpose far into this century.
A 1 gigabit (1000Mbps) connection will ensure that any interaction with the Internet will be quick and easy. Television, films, cheap phone and video calls over the Internet, the ability to extend local mobile phone networks to cover black-spots, local security, telehealth and medicine applications - all will become possible. B4RN will be initially be providing the broadband connection and VoIP telephony, with further services to follow as the network rolls out over the coming years.

Barry Forde, B4RN Chief Executive, will explain the project and launch the share offer in the company to raise the necessary capital required over the next few months. Representatives from the first phase communities of Melling, Arkholme, Quernmore, Abbeystead, Wray, Tatham, Roeburndale, Wennington and Caton with Littledale will be at the event as well as local dignitaries and celebrities.

B4RN is a community benefit company, owned by its shareholders. Income made will be re-invested in the service and spent within the communities the company serves. The shares are being made available under the EIS (Enterprise Investment Scheme) that offers 30% tax relief, with a minimum investment of £100 and maximum of £20,000.

B4RN hopes to attract the support of local, national and international investors, whilst remaining a truly community-run business, bringing fast, future-proof, sustainable Internet access to the rural uplands, for this generation and those to come, leaving a lasting legacy for the area.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. B4RN has been more than three years in the planning and development stage. The B4RN project will bring a state of the art, fibre optic broadband connection to the rural communities long before most of the urban areas. Rural Lancashire plans to be a world leader in “hyperfast”.

2. Professor Barry Forde (B4RN Chief Executive) is a networking expert with many years experience of designing, building and operating high performance networks. He was responsible for the CLEO network which provides connectivity to over 1000 schools and public sector sites across Lancashire and Cumbria. Bios are available for Professor Forde and the Management team http://tinyurl.com/6tpdkmt

3. The full business plan is available on the website, along with details of the pricing and payment structure for local residents and businesses. http://tinyurl.com/895uvdx This includes bonuses of free install and connection for 12 months with a £1500 investment, three further free months for early bird investors, and payment in shares for involvement in the deployment of the project.

4. A target of 662 registrations of interest were required for a green light and this was passed in just three months. The project moves one step closer to implementation with the launch of the Share Issue. “The phased network will be built by the community over three years for the seven phases. Now we have passed our target of over 700 registrations of interest in investment and taking a service at £30/month for 1Gbps, we can proceed to raise the capital required for Phase 1,” said Barry Forde.

5. B4RN will initially provide internet and telephony with further services in the future. Each home will have a battery backup so telephony over the fibre means landline connections are no longer required.

6. Christine Conder, a farmer’s wife and rural broadband pioneer, who successfully dug and installed the first rural fibre cable to her farm in Wray in 2009, knows it can be done and sums up the enthusiasm and ethos of B4RN, “If we don’t do it ourselves then it will never get done, so B4RN is the answer, let’s all JFDI.”

7. Photos (to be accredited to B4RN) are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/b4ruralnorth

Contact details:

Professor Barry Forde, Barry@B4RN.org.uk
Christine Conder, Chris@B4RN.org.uk
Lindsey Annison, Lindsey@B4RN.org.uk

Telephone: 01524 221588 or mobile: 07952 503253 / 07967 670759
Twitter: @dig2agig
Website: http://www.B4RN.org.uk
JFDI (Just Farmers Doing IT)

How low can we go, CEO of Geo?

2011-11-22T02:35:00.000Z

Can you limbo? It is beginning to feel as if the bar is now perilously low to the ground and there are few sane folk left willing to sink to the depths of our apparently less than meagre national ambition to have the "best broadband infrastructure in Europe". (Yes, yes, hollow laughs all round at this seemingly ludicrous (cl)aim that is still being made in the face of so much fact-based evidence to the contrary).

Chris Smedley, CEO of Geo last week answered a few questions for 5tth about PIA, BDUK and the future, after the announcement that Geo were, sadly, dropping out of the BDUK process.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

There is not a single factor that is seeing off the valuable players in this game, nor is there out and out disagreement with PIA as a concept, rather it is the pricing and terms that are the issue. But the truth is that if you wanted to blame a single issue then PIA in its current form would be it. PIA has little to offer as a solution as it stands, and it is blowing business plans out of the water for UK broadband for our next generations. PIA needs serious work, or scrapping, so it seemed appropriate with all that is going on, or rather not going on, for a ditty to mark the occasion.

There has already been much said about Geo's departure, BDUK, the wisdom of the current approach of spending the money, PIA etc. For many, this departure by Geo feels like a tipping point. No longer is it just community folk, tech journos, and small players making a noise and querying what is actually being done in our name and with our money. Now the big guys are dropping out of BDUK, rural broadband, national and regional solutions etc and making it quite clear why.

LA: Is the BDUK process rescuable, or are we too far down the line of handing the money to BT?

Chris Smedley: That’s for Government and Ofcom (and maybe even BT) to decide. If BT voluntarily dropped the restrictions on PIA and BDUK quickly developed an alternative to the gap funding model then things could be turned round quite quickly. However, as we have asked for all these things already and been denied them on the basis that there is no demand from industry then I wouldn’t hold out too much hope. That means the much slower process of getting Ofcom to intervene on PIA and fibre leasing which will probably take two years to get clear pricing and fair terms for something we could all use as BT will when they deploy new fibre cables. I have no idea whether DCMS will ask BDUK to develop an alternative to the gap funding model. I think they should. I do find it difficult to see anyone other than BT winning the current pilots or the Next Generation Broadband Wales procurement as things stand.

LA: Chris, you must have done the numbers - what figures make it impossible for GEO? What is the gap?

Chris Smedley: Too difficult to generalise as each procurement was different. The simple facts are that using existing poles and ducts is about 5% of the cost of building a new network. Where they exist, other players simply have to be able to use them or it is impossible to compete against BT. If you can’t do so for the long distances to get to remote rural communities as the current PIA stops us from doing then we end up with a proportionately higher cost base than our main competitor for the longest parts of the network. If you then can’t use the new fibre cable to serve local businesses, the public sector, the mobile and wireless industries or other ISPs for backhaul then somewhere between 50-70% of the potential revenues in your business case are zeroed out. BT suffers from none of these restrictions (and has the lion’s share of the current market anyway) so it is easily going to be able to offer more “gap funding” than anyone else.

LA: What have BDUK said to you to make the decision to give up?

Chris Smedley: They have told us that they cannot address any of these concerns about PIA as they are the responsibility of the regulator, Ofcom. Ofcom have told us they are being considered within the Business Connectivity Market Review. This is currently due to conclude at the end of next year and then we will have to negotiate with BT a new contract – assume two years from now at current rate of progress – well after BDUK’s procurements will have concluded. They have told us that there is no demand (presumably other than us) for a non gap funded framework for bidders. Between them, they made our decision pretty easy in the end!

LA: Do you believe that councils could be illegally funding a furthering of a monopoly in 7-10 years' time through the BDUK procurement process?

Chris Smedley: I doubt it is illegal for them to choose BT through the BDUK procurement process – although if the European Commission do apply their state aid guidelines as they have said they will then you would expect no project to become operational unless it offers a fully unbundled dark fibre product to the rest of the market. BT won’t do this at the moment. The sad precedent is that when this got explored after the award to BT of the Cornwall project, Ofcom and Government supported a push back against the EU on this point, arguing (successfully) that this was a matter for the national regulator and that the chosen UK remedies were not unbundled fibre but PIA (!) and VULA (BT’s “virtually” unbundled service – whatever that means). We hear worrying noises from Ofcom that they are considering meeting the EU’s requirements for unbundling in the future with “wavelength unbundling”. For us, as a dark fibre operator, this is all nonsense. Optical fibre cables have lots of fibre in them. Unbundling is a simple lease of the sub-divided elements the market likes to buy (usually a pair).

(I'll put an intro to this next question as I have not blogged this yet. During our meeting with Jeremy Hunt recently here in Cumbria, John Colton of FibreGarden, one of the BDUK Technical Trials Pilots, raised the issue for consideration of a State Aid "premium". This would be for those going straight for the jugular and doing FTTH rather than interim solutions.

The BDUK money is currently being divvied up on a technology neutral basis with all solutions receiving the same per household however long the likely lifespan or suitability of the product, but this fails to appreciate that FTTH will need no further investment. The argument for a premium being that none of those communities/providers doing fibre with this round of money will require any upgrade dosh in the future, whereas all other solutions will be doing an Arnold Schwarzenegger impression. If we are to spend this money, surely we should spend it wisely?)

LA: Do you feel that fibre to the home is being penalised more than, say FTTC, BET, wireless?

Chris Smedley: Yes.

LA: On top of PIA costs, there is also fibre tax, and no premium is being paid to those willing to invest in the longer term rather than stop gap/interim solutions. Can this be rectified?

Chris Smedley: Easily by a determined government which REALLY wants to see fibre deployed across the UK.

LA: After Fujitsu making all the noise earlier this year, how do you feel about them being the first to work with BT on PIA? Stitched up?

Chris Smedley: We are still a PIA trialist and will remain so if possible as we are keen in the long-term to make PIA work. I have no idea why they think it is a good tactic to ignore the deficiencies in the current product and praise BT for launching the current limited product. You will have to ask them! [I will!]

LA: How can Geo now help communities (including councils) to ensure that the gap funding generates local profits as well as /instead of those for a private company?

Chris Smedley: We would have been happy to help by developing viable schemes for councils based on an alternative model to gap funding (like FibreSpeed). We wouldn’t ever have accepted the gap funding model. Going forward, we are going to be focusing on our core business and leaving this task to others (if there are any other than BT).

LA: Where do we go from here?

Chris Smedley: That’s now a question for Ofcom and Government, I’m afraid. Look at New Zealand would be my advice.

Many thanks to Chris for taking time out to answer my questions. It is undoubtedly way past time now for a long hard look at what route we are taking to achieve the goals required in this country. When such exciting companies as Geo and Vtesse are no longer available to innovate, inspire and connect the communities who so need the type of solutions that the agile, generous-spirited, imaginative yet profitable telcos (rather than the oil tanker behemoths) could deliver, summat 'as garn wrang, as they say round here.

Fujitsu & Friends, please stick it out. You are pretty much our only hope now to save this country from yet more global humiliation.

True Cost of Copper Infrastructure - correction

2011-11-18T15:51:00.000Z

Suddenly remembered the other night that many moons ago I stood in a scrapyard next to a complex and expensive piece of machinery, feeding in bits of cable, and then took a large amount of copper granules to weigh-in in Leeds or somewhere over that way. The reason it had escaped my memory was that that was the beginning of a 3 day mission/adventure to Sussex via a circuitous route that included the wilds of Lincolnshire and a 1948 Leyland Beaver to pick up my 1966 Magirus Deutz. Which takes precedence over bags of copper in the memory stakes.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

However, it prompted a call to the scrapyard where that happened to get some grassroots information about this copper malarkey. "Hi, it's Lindsey. Where would I find out accurate prices for copper?" "You'd ring me." "Err, yeah, well, that's what I've done!"

"What copper?" "Well, it's BT's copper and there is rather a lot of it. Tonnes of it."

"Firstly, there is no way you can sell this to anyone without a certificate. No-one will touch it, well, no-one honest would. It's marked and traceable. To find out prices you talk to LME or Simms here in the North but you can't deal direct with them with BT copper straight out of the ground."

This is where we had a lengthy conversation about the machinery I remembered. Not this model but a cable granulator, which crushes the components of the cable, separates it and sorts it, to get the highest grade of copper possible, which will in turn fetch the highest price.

And here comes the rub: "But BT copper is low grade. Really low grade. The lowest of the low. It is made up of lots of fine copper wires and needs plenty of work to get anything useful from it. In fact, you'd be lucky to get, um, a grand a tonne."

(The 'um' was telling. Bear in mind, this is a successful businessman who makes his money out of scrap so you can choose your percentage to add on to that for what he gets for it!)

"How much have you got?"

I've known this guy a long time and he knows full well I would not have stolen anything, so there was no point stringing him along with answers like 10 million tonnes so I said, "It's not actually mine..."

"Don't get involved, it's not even worth the hassle for the price you can get for it, especially if there are no certificates from BT saying you have permission to recycle it. The only way to make anything back from it is if it's yours ie if you are BT, and if you have access to a granulator [Which is a £20k+ piece of kit] and have someone like me to process and trade it for you."

So, a quick back of the envelope calculation says that to someone like me with a few tonnes of the stuff, selling it through my mate the scrapman who is going to take his margin, we are down to £10bn instead of £50bn. Which shows just how unreliable both El Reg and the Telegraph articles were in getting to the nitty gritty.

It's still one helluva lot of money to have in the ground hindering progress, especially when you think that the readjusted figure for ubiquitous FTTH across the whole of the UK is now between £10 and £14bn. BT are apparently putting in £2.5bn to do Infinity, Fujitsu want to spend £1.5bn, and companies such as Iuhba are threatening to spend another £1.5bn etc. Either my maths is very poor or those three companies plus weighing in the copper could see us fibred to the home UK-wide.

(Not that I am suggesting we pursue this route of allowing a handful of companies to do it and own it all as I remain convinced that open access is the *only* way forward for this country and others, but I'm just pointing out that the figures stack!)

WiBe testing on a hill

2011-11-14T09:28:00.000Z

Headed up the hill to one of the few places that seems to get 3G round here. Although I still couldn't see it on my iPhone, except very sporadically, when I managed to get a quick test in, the WiBe settled in pretty quickly.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

The initial euphoria at finding a far better connection speed than ADSL can offer in Upper Eden has not yet worn off! Am seriously debating finally going into agriculture and setting up a WiBe farm with lots of them in my attic.

WiBe test

3G Test on iPhone

The True Cost of Britain's Copper Infrastructure III

2011-11-13T22:03:00.000Z

It's all very well pointing out the problems. Doing so makes us all just question marks. But what is the solution?

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

In a simplistic world, (the one I live in where anything is possible) but taking into account that there are companies with internal economies now larger than most EU countries who have more than just a vested interest, I propose the following:

1) Strip out the copper.

Use prisoners, unemployed, the digitally furious willing to give endless time and money to solve the problems of impoverished broadband, the NEETs, the retired, and all those in this country who need and want to be part of a Big Society that does anything it can to get this country back on track.

2) Map the duct locations

Using GIS, ensure that every single one of the now empty ducts available for re-use for fibre is mapped. This lack of accurate mapping and current knowledge about what is in the ducts and where has caused untold problems for many. Let's get it right this time.

3) Sell the copper

Sell, locally to limit copper miles, not just to scrap merchants, but to artisans and businesses in this country who already use copper in their manufacturing processes, or can come up with new products that do. Thereby preventing and reducing the need to import, particularly whilst the pound is weak, whilst also helping to rejuvenate the manufacturing industry we so badly need for an economic turn-around. There is a huge range of products that can be made from copper. It will also give us the chance to innovate, be ingenious, and spot gaps in the market (for which the British were once renowned), using this natural resource that belongs to Britain.

4) Create a Trust Fund or similar

This copper, whether in the railways, telecommunications or utility industries, was on the whole probably mostly paid for by the public purse. Considering the reasons for removing it - public safety, reduction of risk to life, benefits to the nation as a whole - there should be little to no argument from any corner about putting it into a Trust Fund (or similar) to create a resource that is open to all to benefit from in the future - a fibre network.

5) Put in the right people.

Those in charge of the Trust Fund should be experienced in managing assets for the public good and for long-term profitable aims. Not experienced in box ticking, or telecoms, or manufacturing, or lining their own pockets, but in ensuring that money of the hard cash variety is spent where it can achieve maximum value for the people of this country. The money should in no way be permitted near any body which has not got a scrupulous record, so that's banks/financial institutions, public sector/government departments, etc OUT of the running.

The size of the potential pot will undoubtedly attract unscrupulous individuals and companies who spy a fat wage in return for administration. These type of people should be weeded out from any involvement with the Trust Fund administration, aggressively and ruthlessly. (They seem pretty easy to spot IMHO).

The 'Secretariat' (for want of a better word) will be publicly accountable, have simplistic and achievable aims, and spend as much money as possible a) locally b) regionally and c) nationally. It is time we stopped giving away our resources (financial and otherwise) to other nations when we are in such a dire state ourselves. If we need to invest some money to create fibre manufacturing plant again, and associated jobs and wealth, then that will be done. We've got enough sand......

6) Buy fibre.

Sufficient to replace that damned copper once and for all. If only half of the copper in the ground is replaceable, its resale value is still at least twice what is required by the latest estimates to do FTTH across the whole country. Yes, flooding the market with second hand copper may reduce the price, but that is the point of encouraging new markets to add value to the raw material by processing it into something new and exciting. The demand for the 'glut' of copper by doing so should counter any drop in price, and will actually make any new products far more competitive if the wholesale price of the raw material does drop.

7) Look at the whole thing holistically.

As these three posts have endeavoured to show, the FTTH issue is not related to any single sector. It is not just about telecoms, nor transport, nor the energy industry. Nor the emergency services and disruption thereof, nor the cost to the NHS and associated services when someone fries themself thieving power cables (which I understand may be irreplaceable with fibre). It is not purely about expense to the public, private or family purse, or the savings we can all enjoy if we get this right. And it is certainly not about the ROI for a single sector in doing FTTH as it affects all of us.

Whilst a research company, aided by its largest clients from the telecoms sector, can pluck a figure out of the air and claim it is going to cost £x to do ubiquitous FTTH, it is not beyond the wit of man (or this woman) to see the solution. Especially if we look at the problem from multiple angles and the eyes of the beneficiaries, and not just through the lens of a single sector, fighting to protect its olde worlde profits in a brave new and very different 2.0 world.

As I said, I live in a simple world. One where everyone stands to win. That's where FiWi Pie came from - a slice of the fibre-wireless pie for everyone.

The True Cost of Britain's Copper Infrastructure II

2011-11-13T21:58:00.000Z

Further to the previous post about the cost in lives as well as a wastage of £billions within the utility, transport and communications infrastructure sectors, there are yet further costs of the continuing existence of this copper to point out e.g. the effect on the mobile industry and every sector which uses that.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Ebay have just commissioned a report by Verdict Research about the poverty of mobile coverage in the UK and hence its impact on m-commerce. Whilst we talk about spectrum frequently, one subject which requires far more coverage is the backhaul to mobile masts, especially in rural areas.

This backhaul is frequently supplied by costly and lengthy copper wires. As any business will tell you, overheads such as this can be a killer which seriously affects the bottom line of any business. Yes, the mobile operators make healthy profits, especially from very low cost and profitable services such as SMS, but high overheads do affect the appetite for investment, particularly in such a competitive environment as the mobile industry where there are far too many loss-leaders, mainly in order to prevent too much churn to competitors.

Ebay's research about m-commerce is telling, especially when you consider that in most cases, m-commerce requires solid access to data services in order to function properly.

The totaltele.com article summarising Ebay's research begins with this paragraph:

eBay on Friday warned that patchy mobile network coverage, slow connection speeds and poor reliability is costing the U.K. economy £1.29 billion per year in lost sales.

The article goes on to say:

"M-commerce sales are already worth some £1.35bn to the UK economy, and are set to grow fourteen-fold over the next ten years to £19.26 billion by 2021," said eBay. "It is therefore essential for Ofcom to seriously consider the interests of m-commerce when considering what regulatory approach to take towards mobile broadband provision."

It is time for Ofcom and the government to consider not just the availability of spectrum but also the associated middle mile costs that fall to the mobile operators. And AFAIK, the vast majority of wired mobile backhaul and longhaul comes from BT and is copper-based. (Correct me, anyone?)

What these statements from Ebay would appear to imply is that we are losing around half of the potential income EACH YEAR because of the poverty of the network.

Start adding together the costs from the previous article and this one, and we are getting into per annum revenue figures that make the total costs of ubiquitous FTTH deployment seem more than just affordable. FTTH starts to seem imperative for long-term savings and to assist an economic turnaround.

And we haven't started on public sector savings yet, or added in the savings to each household of true broadband access. Or the environmental savings which can be achieved by replacing costly, energy-hungry, and aged equipment required to run a copper network with modern, energy efficient, fibre kit.

I am undoubtedly getting myself into hot water with posts which protest the case, such as this, particularly amongst those for whom there is still an addiction to copper, but it all has to be said. Over and over again until the message gets across that we must do something, and we must start to JFDI now.

There is an article by Caitlin Moran entitled, "Protesters? They're beautiful!" in which she points out that protesters are not required to have answers, they are there to stand as a question mark asking, "What are you going to do about this?"

This is one such online protest, with a big fat question mark, to our policy makers, telcos, public sector, decision makers, purse holders, communities, citizens and businesses asking that very question.

The True Cost of Britain's Copper Infrastructure I

2011-11-13T21:54:00.000Z

(Written on an iPhone, uploaded from home, apologies for typos)

This headline grabbed my eye as I waited for the train at King's Cross today: "Lives at risk as thieves disconnect 999 services. Metal gangs target communication cables". Not one to purchase The Times normally (ever), I succumbed. (It's a long way back home with only 15 minutes free wifi and patchy mobile coverage all the way up the East Coast mainline.)

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

We've done, over and over again, the reasons why FTTH makes sense from a consumer, business, public sector, community, economic and environmental point of view, and why the copper needs pulling out the ground sooner rather than later. Jeremy Hunt was quite clear during his visit at Rheged last week that this government understands the need for Fibre To The Home - in fact, he was quite clear that he didn't want to hear that argument again from ECCBF! However, we all know that we are being held hostage to the business plans and shareholder interest of private companies and that must stop. So, to keep the pressure on, let's do what all scientific journals, media and tabloids etc do and make copper the big scare story for people's health and lives.

The theft of copper cables has so far, this year alone, caused 240,000 minutes of delays on Network Rail. Apparently, these thefts have cost Network Rail £43M over the last 2 years, but no doubt this fails to take into account copper stolen from railways such as Tickhill that NR were planning to re-open. There is no indication how much the train delays have cost British businesses with staff being late, missed appointments, lost productivity etc, let alone the long-term losses from visitors to this country (tourism brings in at least £10bn p.a.) who hesitate to return, and don't ....

The figure given for cost of all copper theft, not just from railways, is given as more than £1 billion per year. (It seems to be rising fast as last year it was estimated at £770M per year) That £1 billion probably fails to fully take into account many hidden losses e.g to homes, families, SMEs, SOHOs etc etc when the communication network and infrastructure relying on copper fails.

Britain has an estimated 20-25 million tonnes of installed copper, approx 60-65% of which is thought to be cables and wires, according to this article. (Remarkably similar figures to El Reg article which looked specifically at BT's copper) At £4350 per tonne scrap value, (down from £5k on El Reg 2 months ago but expected to rise continuously into 2015) the cables would appear to be worth at least £52 billion taking the lower estimates alone.

Now, it's difficult to know whether all of that could be replaced with fibre but it's not hard to guess that a vast majority could be - discounting the power cables, but these would seem to be a small part of the actual copper plant. However, here we stumble on an issue that this post would like to make more of than Fiona Hamilton and John Simpson did.

The emergency services, for instance, often become a victim of these thefts, not necessarily because they are connected to the copper directly, but because of the process known as "overlay". This is where a telco e.g BT does not pull out obsolete or even broken infrastructure, which adds additional cost to a job unless you factor in the resale value of what you have pulled out the ground; the telco simply overlays the new cabling on the old. Leaving the copper as an attractive target for theft whilst making the newer infrastructure closer to the surface doubly vulnerable.

Ironically, as an aside, some places have had to suffer the ignominy of copper overlay (onto fibre) because of BT's insistence to use the ADSL product instead of the more advanced FTTH, that would have been feasible over the fibre if it wasn't for asset sweating. This begins to seem as much a backward, greedy step as a total liability.

Copper thefts are occurring at a rate of 700 incidents per month against the energy industry, 8 attempts daily on the railways, and enough against BT's own network to see a special task force launched (imaginatively named the OpenReach Metal Theft Taskforce).

To date, no innocent person has been recorded as being killed, although at least 6 people have been electrocuted on railways during thefts. One can only imagine the circumstances that have led to these people taking to crime, but no doubt their families feel the effects of their deaths as much as any other family would. The fact is that 6 lives have now been lost, and many more will be if this continues. Not just of criminals but from rail or air accidents, emergency services' disruption etc.

Additionally, as with all such crimes, it is not always possible to be aware of just how far the ripples spread to affect the innocent, and a 36 hour outage for the Solent Coastguard and a 999 outage in Wiltshire recently could easily have caused problems, if not deaths, as a direct or indirect consequence. Cabling stolen from an Air Traffic upgrade at Stansted recently ought to bang home how potentially serious these thefts could become if there was any failure for air traffic control.

Whilst the Private Member's Bill to be tabled on Tuesday addresses the sale of such copper, it fails to address the real issue which is

why the copper is even still there in the vast majority of cases.

Especially a) in the 21st century, when it is well past its sell by date and usefulness except for BT shareholders b) when it is worth so much more out if the ground than in and c) when sentences for nicking copper are so light as to not put anyone off.

Surely, in light of comments such as that by Luke Beeson, general manager of BT security:

"It's only a matter of time, I think, before we unfortunately get a fatal incident"

it is time for BT et al to step up to their corporate responsibility to limit the chance of loss of human life by the continuing existence of a 19th/20th century temptation for crooks when it needn't, and shouldn't, be there.

As well as further cost, inconvenience and damage to UK Plc and its citizens by the very existence of copper in the ground instead of fibre, there should be an urgent move to force the hand of these companies to remove as much of the source of the problem as possible. Particularly now serious crime gangs have their eyes on that £52 billion+ of copper wire in order to commit a crime which is now described as the most serious threat to UK railways after terrorism. Action taken to prevent threats to the personnel of the emergency services should also be extended to safeguard the infrastructure which brings the blue lights to our homes and businesses when required. Before more people die unnecessarily.

BT's misleading community flyer and website

2011-11-11T02:14:00.000Z

Here we go again. BT are putting out misleading info to community groups and the frustrated folk in rural areas who are desperate for broadband. Does it count as an advert, in which case do we report it to the ASA? Or if not, who do we report it to in order to prevent this from being disseminated across communities nationwide without a major rewrite by Westhill and BT?

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

For those of us who have been in this game since prior to broadband becoming a household word, this is like Groundhog Day. Same old, same old. But if you don't know what BT are capable of, you might fall for this.

Firstly, spot the 'may' in the first sentence. Yep, same as ever. Gives a nice fallback once your community has done everything in its power to hand over money, goodwill, wayleaves, effort etc to BT who will come back with, "We only said superfast broadband 'may' come to you". And note the failure to make any promises or define 'superfast' either because BT have resorted to all the 'up to' malarkey again....

"Working on behalf of the communications industry..." Really? Not on behalf of BT shareholders then? Or even the apparently non-important communities and citizens BT ought to at least be pandering to considering what BT are asking/expecting from us?

The purple section is probably the most offensive. Initially I thought that that little asterisk after "hundreds of Communications Providers" would actually reveal that there will not be much of a choice of communications providers offering BT Infinity or superfast services, but, oh no, apparently this snippet of info about how much choice you will have is deemed too highbrow for the community folk in rural areas. No, let's treat you all as morons and explain what a communications provider is - like the clue is not in the name.

There is no small print pointing out that what OpenRetch are actually asking is "EVERYTHING" from your community - free wayleaves, you ask for the money from Government or your neighbours and hand it to BT, you dig, you get out there and do all BT's community engagement and advertising for free, and then, wahoo, BT will bill you every month for a BT service badged up by one of the CPs (that's someone who even provides TV services to your home in case you didn't know) reselling BT products. Nope, let's gloss over that aspect. Nothing pointing out that BT are not the only ones able to help you solve the problem caused by BT's continuing failure over the years to actually nail, and solve, the problem caused by um that'll be BT. Anyone remember the trigger level campaigns? Yep, we've been here before.....but this time BT want much, much more from YOU.

This is not BT 'working with your community' at all. This is BT getting you to hand them everything on a plate to continue their incumbent monopoly into the future, without any level of commitment from them to actually deliver superfast, or to pay for wayleaves, or to make a deal with the community that, say, 'in return for your commitment, we will make a contribution to your community project, coffers etc...'. Oh no, take, take, take, as ever.

And as for the last bit of this sentence: that is one helluva (unproven) claim to be making.

Aha, but spot the anomaly. Re-read the first line. Only 'most'? But you say we can do all of it, precisely when we want to do it. So, which do you mean? We can do it when we want? Or we can't? Or we may be able to?

If your community gets these fliers, send one copy to the Advertising Standards Agency and one to Ofcom, asking them to look carefully at them and then rap BT's knuckles with a hefty fine for pointing people to a website which makes claims in the first paragraph alone which many in rural areas will find deeply offensive considering BT's failure to deliver on its promises/commitments from 2003-2004 onwards. And for which it was paid handsomely from the public coffers.

Oh no we bloody can't. We can't even 'work occasionally' on the substandard service you are selling and reselling to millions of rural people across this fair nation. There should be a massive asterisk on that paragraph that points people to an explanation that actually this paragraph doesn't apply to at least third of the country as well as many in urban areas.

And Ofcom need to look hard at the page about the providers currently offering superfast on the website. Virgin Media? Rutland Telecom? Be? Oh, you mean "reselling BT's definition of 'superfast'? Well, make that clear then.

(As today has seen editing control by BT on even BBC web pages, I'll just include a screen shot of those two pages so the more bored amongst you can monitor when it changes to fact rather than very poorly worded, ill thought-out and misleading marketing hype)

It will be interesting to see when a new version appears, and whether those communities who have already received this flier will be sent an amended version to ensure that they are not talking to their communities without understanding the reality of what this flier/advert is asking of them. Many communities do not have broadband champions who are up to speed with what choices are available for rural areas, and it would be more than just remiss of BT to attempt to capitalise on that. It's morally outrageous, but in addition, if it doesn't fall under existing laws about private companies misleading the public, I'd be very surprised.

DCMS Minister fuses his first fibre for Cyberbarn

2011-11-09T23:47:00.001Z

The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP today (yesterday for many of you!) cyberopened Cyberbarn by fusing a length of fibre which, in an ideal world, would have been wrapped around a laptop sporting a presentation about Cyberbarn as there was no way in his Olympic schedule to get him through our door in Warcop. Nothing ever quite happens as you expect......

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

The Olympics event overran by a whole hour, which left Cumbrian businesses and campaigners without a moment to see Jeremy before he had to hotfoot it to Carlisle for his main purpose of the day - the Olympics, sport etc. Somehow, our MP Rory Stewart persuaded Jeremy he could spare the broadband group 5 minutes. ECCBF (East Cumbria Community Broadband Forum) spoke about the ethos, purpose, structure etc we are exploring, which is a message which needs disseminating more widely as Cumbria is a pilot for these things with BDUK and that £830M. Other pilots should be talking to us just as we need to talk to you.

Jeremy *had* to leave to get to Carlisle. But we (read: Lindsey) simply couldn't allow him to leave without fusing some fibre in Cumbria in 2011 and opening Cyberbarn (although the real world opening still falls on Rory's shoulders, and if you have two minutes, please ask BT Open Reach CEO, MD etc for the loan of their new super shovel for that occasion!).

I am extraordinarily grateful to John Colton of Lucidos for pointing out to me when I rang yesterday and said, "I don't want to sacrifice any of my fibre so he can 'cut a ribbon'..." that we were going about it the wrong way. John turned up with a splicer so Jeremy could fuse fibre - sweet!

And then Jeremy signed our Cyberbarn certificate (which had been made by me when I thought he was going to leave the building without even a minute to spare to meet us).

It's been a very long day - I have just got home. I can't even begin to write how I feel. I hope for all of you following on Twitter, this will do as a start. Thank you everyone for your support in making Cyberbarn happen and for your ongoing support of me, in particular. It has been much appreciated recently.

(Oh, and as someone who used to make videos for a living, yes, I know they are not perfect, but I was presenting and filming as my video monkey has only just got home from her 18th birthday celebrations last weekend. So, no, if you're interested, she doesn't take after her mum even a smidgen!)

WiBe Testing and 3G masts

2011-11-08T17:15:00.000Z

Just thought: some people doing WiBe testing might not know how to find the location of 3G masts so....

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Use the Sitefinder site, provided by Ofcom and voluntarily updated by the operators, to locate all masts in your area.

You need to zoom right in to actually see masts on the map, and it may be that in some areas there are far more masts than in ours that the WiBe can see. You are looking for masts in the database operating at 2100MHz range. (Ours is only operating at half power so a message has gone to Three to ask if they might consider turning it up - it would be very interesting to see what sort of connectivity we could get if they did so as I'd be more than happy to ditch my landline in favour of full on WiBe connectivity!)

The WiBe antennas will seek the best signal from the four built-in antennas and lock into that. If the WiBe lights switch from one mast to another continuously, try re-locating the WiBe to get the best signal with least noise.

You can see how many masts the WiBe is finding by logging into the WiBe through a browser (default setting is: 192.168.1.1) and looking at the Admin - Status - 3G antenna test results. This will also tell you the max and min without having to run a Speedtest. So, right now mine is reading Max kbps 3055 and min 1201 with -99dBm.

I know which mast I am coming off as I can only see one here, but the Cell ID doesn't relate to the operator's reference on Sitefinder and I still don't know how to translate Cell IDs, except that I have discovered cellspotting.com in the process, which is a geo-location 'game' I was unaware of!

Just found a Rural Broadband Working Group (RBWG) MiFi in Upper Eden too due to these blog posts so as soon as we get a chance we will do some parallel testing and see how the results stack up.

The RBWG, an alliance between Three, Countryside Alliance, with input from Race Online 2012, is very interesting and there will be a blog post soon with an update on that.

Right, back to testing!

Any UK entries for the Gigabit Challenge?

2011-11-08T05:41:00.000Z

Google's Gigabit Fibre (and no, I'm not spelling it the wrong way, thanks, I'm British!) has triggered the Gigabit Challenge, looking for disruptive and unique applications / business ideas that could use the capacity and network. I know we're all stuck on dire internet connections here in the UK that stifle our imagination, effectiveness, productivity, etc etc, but we must be able to come up with a few entries?!
This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

The rules seem pretty simple. You don't have to buy anything, just register and upload your idea with supporting material.

Business Plans will be evaluated on the following:

Ability to clearly and completely convince the judges that a real market opportunity exists and that they have the right combination of product/service, team, and plan to generate significant expected financial returns from that opportunity given the amount of risk associated with the opportunity.
Growth & impact: Demonstration of potential for being in business in five years and how the business will impact the local economy (e.g., generating revenue, creating jobs).
Brevity & clarity: Business plan presented clearly and concisely, and is easy to understand
Entrants must show how their venture ties into the strengths and assets of the Goggle Fiber Network and/or how being connected to the Google Fiber Network will create a beneficial relationship within the Kansas City metropolitan region.

Now, I don't know much about Kansas beyond that film, but communities are pretty much the same worldwide, urban or rural.

9 days left before the deadline...thinking hats on folks!!

WiBe Testing

2011-11-08T00:26:00.000Z

Chris and John have both put up WiBe tests, so I thought I'd pull a few of mine off the phone and share them too.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Thanks to Richard Dix at Rural Broadband for this very cute toy.

This is a new build in a village where every single home is sub 2Mbps. Many are still on dial up. The plan was to test a window on each side of the house and the attic to see where the best signal might be. The two sides were pretty similar results, so I've omitted those tests from this post and just shown the west, east and the attic.

Setting up for test 1 just as the sun is setting.

First test.

Second test.

The WiBe in the attic.

Speedtest 1 in the attic.

Speedtest 2 in the attic.

The WiBe reaches for the moon.

Test 1.

Test 2 - it does make a difference if you just let the WiBe settle in, and although it only takes a few moments to get the 3G connection, it can take 10-15 minutes before you start getting improved and consistent results. As it was dark and I wanted to share the results before the iPhone ran out of juice, I packed up my huge bag of tools - 1 Wibe and an iPhone - and headed off to discuss this with the owner of the house. In the milking parlour, where of course all the best discussions take place!

Earlier in the day, I had been out to another notspot on a different mission, and had just thought I'd test the mobile network whilst there. These are the two speedtests and the views around about 20+ homes.

This was near the main road at the bottom of the valley so I headed uphill.

As you can see, an improvement, but not a useful one!

I am in direct line of sight to the Ash Fell mobile mast but it appears to have made little difference.

So, armed with the invertor, I am going back there to see what the WiBe will get en route to a rather infamous notspot in our patch, and a few others with not quite so well-known broadband champions.

I have got about another 50 speed tests to get off my phone too, but they are all showing pretty much the same thing - the WiBe is a great solution for now if you are on dial up or live in a notspot!

I don't have a laptop so cannot film and speed test and log onto the WiBe all at once - Chris and John do all that so check out their posts.

From logging on I am discovering that the best signal strength so far is around 85dBm, with the worst being 107 dBm, but this needs far more experimentation to see if I can improve those simply by positioning. I have been trying to see where the cell ID relates to the sitefinder mast codes, but haven't resolved that one yet. This would help in understanding which mast the best signal is coming from (when there is a choice) and hence positioning the WiBe better, but it's early days yet and I'm sure there is still tons more to discover to get even more from the WiBe.

We've load balanced the WiBe with the satellite to get maximum backhaul into the Cyberbarn till the fibre goes in and it's pretty good because I can switch between the two quite simply now to demonstrate both means of getting online to visitors. Which after all was one of the reasons for the Cyberbarn's existence!

Next step is to get the VoIP phones working in the Cyberbarn so we can demo VoIP over both WiBe and satellite, but there are only so many hours in a day, and I've been given the most awesome GIS mapping software and fibre network planning tools today (Cheers Mike!) and they are vying with the WiBe for attention....more on those soon.

ISPs must be stopped from screwing dial up users IMMEDIATELY

2011-11-07T22:44:00.000Z

I went round to a house tonight to test the WiBe. The lady had been in Cyberbarn this afternoon and seen the WiBe on the desk. She's on dial up, but actually came round to get advice about her printer. I dropped in to see her this evening on the way home....and unearthed a horror story.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Her hours at work have recently been cut and the family need to tighten their belts, as I'm sure many in this country can relate to so she had been going through their bank statements to see what could go. She spotted the AOL direct debit at £30 a month, and mentioned it to me whilst I was trying to fix the printer. I pretty much fell off the computer chair. "£30??? You are paying £30 for dial up?" "Yes, I hadn't thought about it but we have been paying AOL that amount for years and years. We know we can't get broadband, no-one can round here, so I'd never really thought about it, until today after coming to Cyberbarn, and then seeing it on the bank statement."

"Cancel it right now," was my advice. "I'll find you a better solution in the next day or two." It's a promise I intend to keep. And I am now also going to leaflet every house in that notspot and tell them to check the amount they are paying for dial up.

But the ISPs should be deeply ashamed of themselves. I know AOL have a huge number of customers, but a company that size must know that they have long-term customers, to whom neither they nor BT are able to offer a 21st century product like ADSL broadband, and should be ensuring that every single customer on dial up is being treated fairly and not being completely ripped off in this manner.

Yes, there are many of us guilty of not checking our statements to make sure we are not paying monies we needn't, chasing up a better deal on our utilities etc, but some of the onus should fall on the companies too to NOT RIP PEOPLE OFF like this. There is absolutely no excuse for a company to maintain customers on age-old tariffs which are clearly over-priced and bear no relation whatsoever to the service being offered.

Let's keep this 'Give an Hour to Help People Online' going. If you know ANYONE still on dial up, go and ask them how much they are paying and help them contact Ofcom to report their service provider so the extent of this problem can be seen and dealt with, and help them to find a better deal for their connectivity.

And if you are an ISP and still have dial up customers, especially those who must have been with you for at least most of this millennium, then give them a free year to make up for the ludicrous and immoral over-charging which has been going on for far too long.

Dial up should be free anyway - it's no use to man nor beast in this day and age and it costs peanuts to provide. Shame on you AOL and the rest of you running the same scam, check your customer records and start sorting this disgraceful situation out immediately.

Day 1: rural broadband experiment

2011-11-03T02:42:00.000Z

6 people in total through Cyberbarn. No-one was allowed to use Youtube, Facebook or anything else as I am now disastrously protective of the data allowance. This doesn't exactly make for a fun online experience but as I seem to be paying, can you blame me? This is how any rural family will be forced to behave at £15/GB. Here's what we spotted today..........

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Cleaning windows, talking to old friends, gossiping about the soap opera that is our village, even with anywhere between 3 and 5 IT savvy folks in Cyberbarn who don't actually appear to be touching a computer, uses anywhere from 3/4-10MB each 30 minutes. That was on the satellite which is currently operating at 64kbps whilst we negotiate the new contract. (Apparently, I should be ashamed to admit this speed, but I am very grateful to a supplier willing to talk to me whilst I also endeavour to track down someone from 3 with some authority to help this experiment proceed for at least one month using data as we wish to).

My maths isn't great at this hour, but hopefully @yarwell or someone will do the sums and work out the necessary info to show how 20.4MB at 64kbps in 30 mins works......

So, at 6pm, we were operating on this 'about to be 6Mbps but right now 64kbps' satellite and then Mr Popham walked in with the WiBe. His first speed test was 2.7Mbps. It was posted on Twitter. Bear in mind, Upper Eden is an area where the few sad folk amongst us who care report the tiny patches of 3G connectivity, mostly high on the fells (usually MOD land), in case 3G is ever required. Most ISPs will not sell a 3G dongle to anyone round here as the tests have clearly shown nowt is available. The WiBe proved otherwise and I have to admit to being instantly impressed.

Not having enough cat5 ends to crimp through to the load balancer and share this minor upgrade in connectivity, we all just decamped to the WiBe wifi!! This is where I spent too much time eating fishcakes whilst finding the usage stats, a car went off the road, the village soap opera erupted, and luckily, tomorrow is another day!

However, there is a post script to day 1: the speedtest I received from my own house via @johnpopham indicated a 3.7Mbps down and 1.49 up from his WiBe. I showed this to the people from the Haybergill Centre who have had a nightmare broadband scenario for far too long. Mick was sceptical for about 2 secs before reminding me there is 3G somewhere up on the MOD ranges behind them. I reminded him there wasn't in the village, but this bit of kit had found one. The WiBe is going up there ASAP to see if it may, once and for all, resolve the problems up there with the need to get online. So, big tick to @johnpophma for solving yet another Can't Get Online Challenge problem.

How do I feel: tired. Happy. And very, very sad. Why are we so pleased with a 3.7Mbps speedtest from a £200+ WiBe which has a £15/GB tariff? This could end up costing (on my home usage alone) 28 days x £15, £420/month in excess usage, to do the nothingness that I can do now. After three months of that level of usage (which obviously I would have put a stop to as soon as I discovered it as it is way beyond my personal and business resources) we could have put in FTTH.

I've always argued that the economic dynamics of FTTH must be looked at from a far wider view point than purely the telcos' profits. Right now, I am going to stand on top of the reality of Day 1 and shout out to you all: FTTH makes far more sense for everyone's pockets - telcos, councils, consumers, parishes, SMEs etc.

So, day 1: overall, sad. Bloody impressed with the WiBe and want it as an adjunct to my FTTH - can you build a femto cell into it too? Pleased to have better connectivity than CCC, CLEO and BT Global can provide from the fibre that lies less than 300m from my house, but so sad that rural folk are being so dreadfully curtailed for no good reason. And will be for many more years if this lunacy continues much longer.

Allow the geeks to touch a computer, their iPhone or a tablet, add a WiBe (thanks Richard!!!) and the stats go steadily and unceasingly upwards. Chuck a John Popham into the mix with Cant Get Online Week blog posts and photos to upload, and the TX/RX got into telephone numbers (it was measured in bytes, but even so!)

I'm still trying to resolve the WiBe stats (has anyone out there got a minute to help this very tired individual make sense of it all?) to actually clock what we did today but my calculations actually have us over 100MB for just over 2 hours (which is sort of terrifying if you only get 2 GB a month), but I am happy to log start/finish data from now on as today was a tad haphazard!

(Unpack WiBe whilst trying to eat my fishcake breakfast at 6.30pm, monitor stats asap, enjoy the company whilst dealing with developing Parish issues, and dragging a UK ONline learner out of a dark/hidden ditch!) Bit full on I thought but never a dull moment here ... ;)

Making the Final 10% the First 10%

2011-11-02T05:07:00.000Z

As per previous post, we are now running an experiment to prove that FTTH is the only solution, for most rural remote areas by looking at the options, costs, usage etc. We are not saying there is not a place for satellite, mobile or even FiWi, but we will prove that FTTH makes more sense AS THE PRIMARY CONNECTION for the vast majority of homes and businesses in this country. We need a wireless/mobile cloud whatever, and there are always going to be places where a satellite makes sense now and for the foreseeable.

This blog post can be read at
5tth.blogspot.com

Thanks to AFL, Lucid, ITS and others who are coming at us too thick and fast for a quick blog post like this, our next phase is about to begin now Cyberbarn is open.

The mile of fibre has landed. The dig is being prepared. If you want to be involved, watch this space or drop into Cyberbarn.

And very soon, B4RN will be announcing how to do rural FTTH over a much wider area on an economically viable and logical scale.

I'll be digging for both of them and continuing to support communities who want solutions, and who need options. Come and try mobile and satellite at Cyberbarn before you make any decisions, and read all the open source information that is available that clearly shows now why the Final Third and Tenth should be the first, and why it makes more sense to invest the money into that sector for long term economic payback than in towns and cities.

The Final 10% Rural Broadband Experiment

2011-11-02T04:53:00.000Z

We are going to set to and provide the hard evidence required on paper to prove that mobile and satellite are insufficient for AFFORDABLE, ACCESSIBLE, PRESENT DAY INTERNET ACCESS in rural areas for your average family, farm, business, OAP etc. What we intend to prove is that the payment pain for these and any next generation solutions is going to fall heavily on the users, whilst the telcos get off scot free from investing in long-term answers already obvious to all. This could no doubt offer excuses for yet further delaying tactics from incumbents, ministers et al through said evidence but hey ho............

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Cyberbarn is now open (Mon, Weds, Fri, 1-7pm if you care to drop in). It is already connected to a satellite dish and in a few hours it will also enjoy a mobile broadband connection through a WiBe lent by Rural Broadband's Richard Dix as part of John Popham's Can't get Online Week - cheers all!

Each GB of data over and above 2 per month (under negotiation and a tad pathetic compared to that permissible on most ISPs FUPs for town dwellers - 30 in my house and then £1 per GB thereafter) will cost us £15. There is NO funding for data (not even, yet, a generous mobile or satellite provider to allow us to capture stats without constant reductions on speed during the month - hint, hint) so guess which mug is paying or who in this rural community will suffer when I can't pay for data before food?

Filming A Notspot (mp3)

Looking at the current usage on the satellite by a normal everyday family (who featured on one of Rory Cellan-Jones' broadband news items a couple of years back about dial up agony before I put the satellite in), and the mobile usage by myself and a couple of others round here, we are all going to be paying more in bandwidth than in electricity, water etc, simply by opening the doors of Cyberbarn and encouraging people to Get Online as MLF wants us to. But, hey, I bet the implications of that doesn't hit the news as hard as the next electricity or gas price hike.

We are all constantly told that satellite and mobile will solve the final 10% so having installed Cyberbarn deliberately in that space, let's see.

(For those who are not aware, there is no ADSL available to any of the premises around or beyond Cyberbarn as it is too far from the exchange. The nearby village, approx a mile down the road, is almost entirely sub 2Mbps, according to both anecdotal data, speedtests, and the BDUK and Ofcom stats for Cumbria which we mapped a while back). Oh, except the Primary School but that is a whole other story dying to be told.

If anyone wants to see what happens when you allow the peasants free access to (halfway fast) data - 6Mbps on the sat and we'll add the WiBe speedtests to @cyberdoyle's cyberwave as soon as we are wired in, feel free to send £15 for a 1GB top up on either the WiBe or the satellite to keep them operating at their 'full' speeds. Not that I am expecting anyone to give us 1GB of data, but if you feel you should for the purpose of a decent experiment, UECP (the Upper Eden Community Partnership) can provide a Paypal account for Cyberbarn. Just comment below if you want one or if you know/are David Dyson, CEO of 3.

I think we know what the reality will be, but hell, let's give it a spin and prove it to those who refuse to believe us that fibre to the home is the only real solution. After all, who will be £1250 out of pocket, per home, if the peasants are paying monthly data tariff fees of £15 per GB rather than telcos putting in a 25-50 year solution for that money?

I'm going to go into this in more detail shortly as I find it deeply offensive that govt can dish out £950M and expect at least £6 per £1 private investment back for industry, and not even begin to apply the same thinking to consumers with the BDUK money. How many £££s is the BDUK cash stimulating from private investment and how much will be dragged from our pockets without ever being accounted for? The pilot projects in Cumbria alone must have already put in tens of thousands of pounds of private money and we haven't seen a bean invested yet in connectivity.

Perhaps this is just yet another tax on those of us who "choose" to live in rural areas? £1 or less per GB in town on a bog standard ADSL or cable connection vs £15/GB in the campo doesn't quite add up in my mind. When our average earnings are already only 63% OR LESS of you city dwellers and our fuel is 10+p a litre more and the hospital/supermarket/courts/County Council offices etc are 40 miles away compared to your 2-5 miles. And our connections don't work and we are being hit with 15 times what you are paying per GB (a DVD is 660MB and our mobile libraries no longer stock DVDs as we can apparently download them.....).

I could go on with how our lives are costing us more and more to produce food whilst city folk and Westminsterites pay less and less for it.

(Don't believe me that we really are?

WE produce your food, that's your steak out of the Cyberbarn viewing window. Cyberdoyle produces your milk.)

Add it up. Rural folks are being taxed out of existence and the digital divide is widening rapidly.

But, enough moaning. To work. Let's see what we can prove in the comms arena for Neelie, Jeremy, Ian et al....

Workington, working together?

2011-10-26T02:16:00.000+01:00

BT will shortly announce that they have just cherry picked Workington out of Cumbria's roll out. They may have made the announcement already....been busy here.....

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

This county that I and others choose to live in is being scammed. Big style. As are far too many others. (Or prove us wrong?). Not for the BDUK money per se but for the townships which would then make a rural rollout actually worth playing with. Using the BDUK procurement as a backdrop.

Apparently C&W, who didn't actually show at the suppliers' day in Carlisle recently, are backing out. Read: have left. So, we're down to two players (waiting for confirmation but that isn't due till about next spring) and word on the street is that someone high up in HMG is trying to keep BT's monopoly alive and well. Like that comes as a surprise.

There are questions that need asking at County level about the fitness of some of those making telecom decisions for our next generations. But ask yourself in far more depth and detail what the hell is going on in Westminster that yet another County is down to only (in reality) a single player with two initials?

Yes, a register is required of lobbyists but how about a list of every single ex-BT employee and shareholder who seems to be currently involved in some very poor decision making for the future communications infrastructure of this country?

Hey, we get the need for commercial cut throat games, but why not put in open access infrastructure and then let them chop chunks out of each other?

Big Society Hurdle Busting

2011-10-22T02:08:00.000+01:00

I sat on the doorstep of Cyberbarn tonight, waiting for two of our seriously active community campaigners (have you voted for Libby yet?)

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

When these folk arrived, just after I had spoken to Rory on the train as he came home to his constituency, we took Cyberbarn to pieces and reconstructed it. I am very lucky to have people like this around me. So is Cyberbarn.

Every hurdle we currently face will be removed by our Big Society barrier busting team. And people like Julie and Libby.

Watch this space. Cyberbarn is knocking down hurdles that it seems County would prefer stayed in place for at least another year. No chance. You will be voted out at the next election and we will make sure that your actions about bringing broadband to the Final Third are made public.

Expensive IP Transit - Zynga

2011-10-20T08:24:00.000+01:00

Not my forte but did a few quick experiments to try to solve what was becoming an expensive problem here, and likely to become worse if we didn't know the source as we move into the next phase of the CAN.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Over the last 2 years or so, we have fairly regularly gone over our monthly cap dans le village. It has been hard to prove who was at fault. Until now.

It is, without a shadow of a doubt, Facebook games which are the issue. Two of my neighbours (oh yeah, and me too) have been using FB games instead of chat, Skype etc, as well as to make life slightly more interesting. The WOW downloads were, I knew, pretty hefty, but actually Zynga has to be the biggest non-paying user of bandwidth that any ISP is facing right now.

I have just set up a quick experiment that involved not actually playing a game and I'm sure this can be confirmed by my fave techie: I pulled 425MB in just under 10 secs without actually playing anything. Considering that these games demand regular check-ins etc, and many do not work over the mobile network (I wonder why!), having 2,3 or more of the Zynga family running at any one time could mean you are pulling a gig regularly throughout a day. Play 4 games consecutively (if you know how they work, you will know this is perfectly feasible) for 3-4 hours and the consumption must be enormous.

On many packages, this would see you pushing the FUP in no time flat on an average month. So, one wonders how many of the so-called excessive users we hear the ISPs calling criminals are simply Facebook's average users?

Makes it quite obvious that a) we need to stop permitting bloated code (compression techniques etc, guys) b) work together so games such as these work as much for LAN and cached as anywhere else and c) open the bloody pipes up.

If 25% of traffic in the US right now is Netflix, you wonder how much of the rest is obese Zynga (or similar) code? And what's in it for them using so much bandwidth? Anyone know of a Zynga/ISP deal, including an affiliate usage that might explain why any single company would want to create something that uses such a phenomenal percentage of the scarce resource at any one moment?

Lords Committee on broadband

2011-10-20T06:30:00.000+01:00

Spotted a reference a while back to an up and coming HOL Committee on broadband on Jimi Enck's blog.
This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

With many thanks to one of the readers here (don't know if you want naming, but thanks for your great emails!), this has now been confirmed and begins in December.

The sort of topics that Lords may want input on are technical and economic information, legal input on State Aid constraints, investment, as well as specifically rural inputs regarding wireless, satellite and rural finance.

Joint work on submissions is always welcome to keep input succinct, understandable etc so if anyone is interested in a 5TTH submission, get in touch.

Ready for the next item on the good news agenda?

2011-10-20T06:23:00.000+01:00

I wasn't. And nor were the projects here in Cumbria.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Turned out (Mondayish) that there is an ITT out for consultants to advise the Cumbrian pilots on business plans, instruments etc. Came as a bit of a shock to the projects listed, as you can imagine. But I forwarded it to them in case they didn't know. They didn't.

Staffed by some of the most inexhaustible volunteers who have forged relationships within their communities (literally on their doorsteps), the idea that a furriner would be allowed access.....

Actually, it's worse. A PAID furriner, who knows absolutely nothing about these communities, and has been chosen in a rushed 5 day process (Oct 21st to 26th) could be forced in to Cumbrian communities who have established relationships that telcos, governmental departments and civil servants can only dream of. And not a single one of these hard working people who have already, in some cases, got networks up and running, HAS RECEIVED A SINGLE PENNY YET FROM BDUK.

The mind boggles.

So, I'm applying. Because I'm at least local and know every single one of these communities personally. And I'm in good company who can ask far more important questions than me starting with "Why not us?".

I'm sure we won't get it, although the team we have put together in a few short hours could do this job perfectly, without stepping on any toes or peeing money up the wall. (For those who feel like throwing my outcome income statement at me, I will explain this soon, I promise).

Can these furriners create the so-called Community Broadband Toolkit for the next wastage (sorry, spend) of public money called the Rural Community Broadband Fund due to be rushed through (sorry, launched) by the end of November.... when we find out who has "won" the chance to run the gauntlet of some severely cross Cumbrian communities, I'll post again.

Hey, it gets better....

2011-10-20T06:03:00.000+01:00

I lied. It really doesn't.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

In the last two days, rumours have been circulating on't Cumbrian jungle drums that one supplier (of the 3, or is it now down to 2?) on the Lot 2 list has told some folks that they are doing nothing more for now on any pilot*.

*There aren't actually any pilots** in Cumbria yet because the State Aid issues have not been resolved. We could be the first county to have pilots that come post-procurement. Go, us! For achieving sweet FA since Rory's event, let alone the 7 years or so since the Project-Access-debacle, we should get yet another EU award (I was there in Brussels, PA really did get one and it should be removed/denounced/stripped, publicly, for out and out lying about the success of that nigh on £20M spend, read: #fail).

**Oh and none of the pilots are actually allowed to do that innovative lark we were all so looking forward to. It has to be one of the prospective bidders or get oot. It's beginning to look as though if you don't choose the right one, you will find you have wasted at least a year of your life come next spring (see a future post on the actual date) when/if procurement is actually announced.

Cumbria...take a very deep breath

2011-10-20T05:50:00.000+01:00

Herefordshire, North Yorkshire, Scotland and every other county who thinks it has won the pools with BDUK, this includes you too. Shall I give you the good news first? Or are you up for the bad?

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

OK, neighbours, take this in.

Good news first.

The shouting about outside-in has, finally, hit a target. (That's it, the good news). Only taken, what? A decade? Now, let's see if there is some sort of consistency between documents, thinking, procurement..... CCC, BDUK, CALC et al are being particularly tight-arsed with sharing info at present, but hopefully when Jim, Liz and all the others return, who seem to be missing in action right now (holidays and visits on Tuesday by ministers etc), this blog might have some answers for you. I'd far prefer to be doing a different type of digging but needs must....

State Aid compliance has not yet been met. Heard this from 3 different sources last night. So, if you are one of the pilots, leave your hands tied to the chair for a while longer. There is no ERDF dosh coming your way, yet. Personally, I'd JFDI and forget the promises of free cash - it's looking increasingly vacuous.

Still no definition of SFBB in any county, and particularly not ours. Ask your MP about symmetry if all you are going to get is 2Mbps, which seems to be the ambition for this fair nation now - roll back to 2002 or worse, 1984. Question of the day is though: since when has SFBB meant choice of provider before speed of connection?

I'm breaking this into multiple posts as even I am struggling to take this all in now we're past the good news.

Low Hanging Fruit...it's not urban

2011-10-17T05:23:00.000+01:00

One of the arguments/myths which has long done the rounds in telco circles is that the low hanging eg profitable fruit is to be found in urban areas. For years, particularly as a rural dweller, I have argued against this. And largely been unheard (Nowt new there!) But....no more...

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Well, I am hesitant to say, "No more," but at the Telecom Paper Breedband 2011 event in Den Haag, the urban = low hanging fruit debate was comprehensively trashed in a coffee break by a group of senior telco execs who weren't (I suspect) expecting to arrive at the conclusion they did.

Why is URBAN no longer the place to be?

1) Competition in towns and cities - everyone assumed that urban was the place to be. Now you are all there, it isn't. Because a) customer acquisition and retention is costing you so much b) infrastructure is more expensive - once bitten, twice shy councils etc c) ARPU is insufficient in such a competitive environment to risk an investment. So, you end up as a reseller with little to differentiate you from all the others.

2) Rural isolation leads to desperation and frustration. And high uptake. So...urban with minimal uptake or rural with max uptake?

3) Necessity is the mother of invention. Rule breaking and JFDI means simple models can be adopted in rural areas and problems are different but often cheaper to resolve. They may be out of your comfort zone, but not out of the rural populace's experience to JFDI.

4) First to market. If you are the sole provider in an area with a realistic and (even urban) competitive pricing scenario for a great product, you own the market. All of it. Even with an open access solution - which you can do purely to convince yourself you are a risk taker!

5) Community is strong. Co-operation, collaboration, community and commerce work well together when allowed. Slice of pie for everyone.

6) The actual proven capex and opex figures vs revenue in rural areas have rapidly approached those in urban areas over the last few years. For reasons given above, it is now (arguably - goto comments) weighted towards rural.

7) Loyalty - Communities stick by their own and will support projects etc that are obviously doing good by the local economy and citizens. This is frequently abused by corporate social responsibility depts, even within so-called community-biased companies but rural communities are becoming wiser to these ploys in the tech sector now.

Value of Social Capital in a Rural Network

Social capital will not repay a bank loan directly. The representative from Rabobank and I discussed this in Den Haag at length - a single session with bankers and communities could solve this issue once and for all so the balance sheet works over a longer payback period (10-15 years) than would be required for a strictly commercial loan (3+ years) but it would still work.

However, where the community is benefiting and seeing the wealth generation internally, funds can be directed from blue pound etc to repayment of loans. What can go wrong is when a community-facing company leaves only a "skim" in the community coffers as a feel good factor after enjoying the revenue from all of the above without sufficient to repay the internal investment from within the community.

The big problem is greed. Too many companies seem to believe that FTTH or inferior versions thereof are a licence to print money, particularly in rural areas. Even those that are seemingly community-facing have ended up showing their true colours recently. For what? To gain a few percentage points and short term gains, whilst losing the chance (as many baby bells and rural telcos have proven is possible) to still be in business 30, 40 or more years down the line.

Long term , drip drip drip, solid revenue based on organic growth and an understanding of your customer base, with minimal competition and a technology that is established, proven and future-proofed.....well, we ended up with folks ready to invest in rural!

CPE for FTTH

2011-10-17T02:45:00.001+01:00

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A month or two ago, we at B4RN acquired some CPE kit to show at the Parish Parties so people could understand what might be in their homes or business premises once they chose to connect to the B4RN gigabit FTTH network. Typically, no-one showed an interest until it was returned to the kind loaner, LucidOS, after the #fibrewalk. But now....

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

As B4RN becomes more of a reality and people understand what is involved, questions about CPE are being asked. CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) is of course of interest to the consumer, but getting your CPE right on a project can make all the difference in cutting install costs too.

Since we first met earlier this year, it has been hard not to fall slightly in love with the Miniflex pre-terminated fibre that a consumer can literally plug in once it has come through the window frame.

Not only ease of use for consumers and installers, but the rugged ducting has also so far survived the cow test - lob it in the byre and see what damage your average cud-chomping moo can do in an enclosed environment. If it can survive that, it can survive deployment "in the field", literally.

Miniflex kit bears looking at and tell Graham or Paul that you heard about it from me when you buy. (Every 100m or so they care to donate to the cause as a thank you will more than likely connect another home in rural England so you can feel good about that contribution to the solving of the #digitalbritain problem!).

I'm getting far more interested in CPE, which is one of those areas where very little change has seemingly occurred in the 7 years I have been attending FTTH Council events. Yep, smaller. Yep, cheaper. Yep, more ports etc. But the real change now seems to have come from feedback by installers, which is ensuring that the length of time spent on a single install reduces dramatically.

And that affects bottom line and the fee you need to charge an end user to be connected.

So, on that note, I am adding a short video from meeting Genexis in Holland this last week. And some photos. The Genexis kit is of huge interest not only to projects where DIY is an integral element to the install, but also where having CPE kit that cannot be accidentally damaged and so add to the ongoing opex through maintenance, tech support etc is important. Plus, your installers want something that is simple to get to for upgrades etc, and where a tricky install in a tight corner is not an issue.

Customers are always right so if they want that CPE hidden under the stairs or beneath the desk, out of sight, then being able to oblige them without it causing a problem now or in the future has to be important. And having a cute bit of kit that people are happy with also counts.

And no, I am not reducing the resolution of the images. If you can't view them, lobby your MP, County and Parish Councils for a far better broadband solution than the telcos are currently willing to offer you. There's £530M just for starters in the pot......... make sure it is spent wisely connecting YOU!

High level thinking in the Lowlands

2011-10-17T02:05:00.000+01:00

Many thanks to TelecomPaper (and particularly Tim Poulus) for inviting me to address around 150 senior telecoms executives at the Breedband 2011 event in Den Haag last week. Telecom Paper had assembled a high calibre of speakers and delegates and I was very definitely on a high by the end of the day with narry a coffee shop in sight!

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

I went to Holland prepared to return feeling dispirited at the comparable state of British broadband to the Dutch fibre endeavours, which of course many of us are jealous of, and to discover just where it is we are going wrong. Because we blatantly are. Many of those with the answers I was seeking were at the event and sought me out after my presentation, giving plenty of opportunity to quiz them about FTTH in Holland, Finland, Eastern Europe and Russia. (Separate post on all that!)

However, it appears that across Europe there still remains a tricky problem to solve - rural broadband - and B4RN may be one of the solutions which can actually overcome telecom apathy, investor reluctance, government failures, and this strangely mistaken but firm belief that rural broadband cannot pay back, whether public, private or community monies are invested (or a combination thereof).

I spoke after the inimitable Costas Troulos (who spoke in depth about the NBN in Australia) and Gary Mensch of City Fibre Holdings, who developed the plans that CFH have for urban areas in Britain, including Bournemouth, York and 53 other UK cities. It was bordering on completely terrifying speaking after these two, but I am passionate about B4RN, and the business case and technical solution are rock solid now after all this time in Barry Forde's capable hands. Many noted that it was the first time they had been able to access the figures for rural gigabit FTTH so kudos to B4RN for making these publicly available to everyone on B4RN.org.uk.

One of the major points to note in Costas' speech for me was the uniform backhaul rates being aimed for in Oz. This is, of course, one of the key stumbling blocks in the UK - charging for backhaul by distance - and I think we would do well to look closely at the aims in Australia (where distances are far larger than here by several factors). Additionally, there were the possible problems with getting NBN onto a sound economic footing after the initial "euphoria" (read: spend), as well as how to persuade non new build property developers to get on board - also lessons we would do well to consider if we are serious about stretching the little money we have as far as possible. Costas' research into NBN Australia is well worth taking into account and I recommend delving more deeply.

From Gary's talk came an interesting discussion post-event about urban-rural tie ups and partnerships which highlighted for me how much BDUK need to get out of the way. The possibilities for syndicates and partnerships in the UK are now enormous, but not if no-one dares invest or deploy in case some publicly funded project comes over the hill shortly after. (This subject has been done to death and I am not doing it again here).

Whilst other speakers at Breedband 2011 covered the cloud, FTTH business cases, govt funding, structural separation (and a few other topics which were in Dutch so I only got the briefest overview of these from a selection of translators picked at random from around the hall - Jos from Routit in particular, thank you very much!), there was only myself and a speaker from the co-operative Rabobank who went into rural broadband - funding, technology, engagement etc - in any depth. The wide range of topics made for a fascinating day.

I was also lucky enough to meet another Fibre To The Farmer, and conversations about rural FTTH were never-ending throughout the day from suppliers, mobile, fixed, consultants and so on. My head was spinning by the end and attempts from a lovely old boy outside who thought I needed educating in Dutch smoking culture were always going to fall on deaf ears thanks to Telecom Paper.

Judging by the number of in-depth questions which filled the lunch break and post event borrel, plus the surprising number of business cards thrust into my hands, it would appear that those of us involved in B4RN have been correct in our assumption that people who live and work a long way from Lancashire are extremely interested in supporting this project. (For those who have not seen the decision made on 07/10/11, the share offer will be launched next month and all are welcome to invest, from £100 to £20,000, although we also plan to launch a micro-support scheme for those wanting to show support without purchasing shares - a sponsor would be welcomed for this scheme if anyone is interested, cost £500, please get in touch).

I did of course throw into my speech that shareholders would be welcomed from the delegates present, and when this resulted in hands being raised to receive the share offer documents when produced, and firm offers to purchase shares when speaking to delegates after my speech, it was heart warming. However, people also came forward with offers of CPE, backbone equipment, sharing of information/knowledge, and even the odd bit of shovel wielding. From all the conversations, it would seem there will now be a few Europeans with a vested interest in a small area of rural England that they had barely heard of before last week!

I rabbit on and on about how broadband affects all aspects of our lives and this support will have an additional add-on effect for Lancashire that all councils would do well to take into account. Especially if they are only planning solutions around USC or SFBB rather than true next generation access of 1Gbps and above. TOURISM. And in particular, technical tourism. Our B&Bs plus local shops, bars and restaurants are likely to all benefit now from visitors from abroad because people want to see first hand how B4RN is implemented, the effects and the changes to local economies and services of true next generation access in a rural setting, as well as to use B4RN as an exemplar to take home and replicate. All being well obviously, but even in the worst case scenario, there will be valuable lessons learned.

Tourism contributes a phenomenal sum as a sector, and whilst we are pretty dreadful at hospitality compared to many other countries, we could begin to focus on showcasing our technical and innovative skills to guests from afar. That is, if we are actually going to play catch up/leap frog and not completely screw everything up by introducing ultra high levels of rushed bureaucracy into the equation through BDUK etc, and permitting uninformed communities to make snap decisions without understanding the big picture consequences. I was deeply embarrassed to explain the BDUK process in the networking sessions. From afar, you suddenly realise how little it is likely to achieve because it is as far from a Big Society, joined-up thinking, logical approach as it seems you could get when you stand on the other side of the North Sea and try to explain it.

Luckily, the ins and outs of our political shenanigans were of less interest than B4RN, and whilst I wish I spoke better Dutch, there were few discussions that could not be translated by one of the many English speakers around me. The RaboBank presentation in particular showed that a co-operative bank can provide invaluable assistance in getting community projects onto a sound economic footing, whilst also recouping their loans, although we did have a rather lengthy discussion over coffee about the bank's need to understand where social capital fits into the equation when setting terms for repayment of cash!

The presentation by Jyrki of Finland resulted in a 2+2 moment that I will try to blog about in the near future, although I am not completely sure I can do it full credit as it really was one of those "You had to be there" kerching moments.

The Genexis CPE kit (see video and photos in next blog post) will be of interest to anyone looking at FTTH, and end to end solutions plus out of the box thinking were available throughout the event. Many became obvious only when people networked and my lack of Dutch meant I missed conversations around me that would, I'm sure, have been fascinating.

That highlighted for me the need for people like Neelie to pick up on promises made by her predecessors to hold and attend an event that brings together regulators, consumers, communities, telcos, suppliers etc to make magical things happen by involving people from across the EU. It is simply no good now to have events in EU which are always poorly attended by those who most need to be heard or to listen. Which far too frequently, sadly, includes communities and consumers. And Brits. (We really do need to get out more).

Telecom Paper and others are now considering a proposal to hold such an event which drags a few Brits (kicking and screaming) across to mainland Europe to hear how things are being done in other countries and rural areas, and to share some of the best practice and innovative thinking which is coming out of the UK despite the best efforts of the telcos and government to undermine them. (Sorry, but it has to be said. And said again).

An EU wide understanding of how to deliver the very best in rural broadband (none of this half-assed USC malarkey) should, if the events I have attended in the EU recently give any indication, be a reasonably simple matter to resolve if the subject is given sufficient space on the agenda and made the priority it must become.

And the Big Society is allowed to play a part.

By this I mean that those who believe their salaries and exalted position give them a status, that at times is undeserved, acquire ears. As well as a level of humility that permits those at grassroots the chance to be heard and understood so that joint ventures become the order of the day.

The appetite to make rural broadband a reality is there, the contacts exist between nations, suppliers, communities, consumers, fixed and mobile etc, and the business case and economic and social value is slowly but surely becoming too apparent to miss. FiWi Pie could easily become dish of the day on the menu if a few people listen to those waiting on.

Well, well, well, broadband gets awards!

2011-10-05T01:40:00.000+01:00

There are umpteen awards in this country - for everything from sausage rolls onwards. But it is rare (unless we hold the CanDo Awards again!) that broadband innovation gets a look in.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

I've just received an email which has led me to discover that two of our number (for we count you as part of the family which will bring the solutions, particularly to solving rural broadband) have been shortlisted down to the Final 50 for the Red Bull Future 50 Awards.

So, I'd like to congratulate Paul Evans of Sharedband and James Collier of Neul for getting noticed in what appears to be a diverse and competitive award scenario.

Neul have also been included in the top ten judge's picks, and I love the comment: "Big? This could be galactic!", and we shall all be looking out for Weightless shortly.

Good luck to both companies, now and in the future, and readers: don't forget to vote!

The Unbalanced Balance Sheet

2011-10-03T01:44:00.000+01:00

FTTH is TOO expensive....so say the telcos. Communities can debate this as much as we wish, but until here in the UK we prove the telcos wrong...we are wasting our time postulating about the FTTH lies/unrealistic thinking coming from industry. However....
This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

The hard evidence concerning what happens across the entire fiscal picture once FTTH/P is deployed is no longer a finger in the air exercise.

Anyone who thinks FTTH is about what the telcos get back as ROI, (return from the investment) has missed the reality of what true broadband connectivity means.

Does your Council think that spending the BDUK money is about cutting costs for IT infrastructure? Is your Council looking at cutting a known cost for IT/backhaul through the BDUK process? Has your Council drawn up a balance sheet showing the cost/benefit of installing next generation broadband for EVERY SINGLE DEPARTMENT and CONSTITUENT?

Has any single body been put in charge of looking at the cost savings across the entire County (Council, SME, citizens, education and health, for starters) to judge the value of investment?

Is there a balance sheet that shows where savings over 5-10 years ACROSS THE BOARD are likely to occur by installing a forward and joined up thinking solution for next generation access?

Has that been compared to FTTC or BET or satellite?

NO? Oh, you surprise me.

Name me one company involved in NGA - incumbent, new entrant, public/private partnership, community org - who has actually thought this through to show why FTTH/P is the way forward and why it suits every single player....

THAT is FiWiPie. Joined up thinking, win/win for everyone, nothing at all to do with technology. As the person who in 2004 came up with FiWiPie with Adam Burns, long before 99% of the current people who claim to have anything to do with FiWi, FTTH, Community solutions etc had any involvement, I ask you all to do the maths, accounts, economics, community engagement etc.

New entrants can use the terms such as FiWi as much as they wish, but the reality is if you don't even grasp the basics of where this thinking came from, you are always going to be pretending to be au fait with the core thinking. And making up the solutions.

Does YOUR solution actually solve any problems by addressing the issues? Do you comprehend the issues? Do you have a full handle on the balance sheets for the council whose problems you are trying to solve? Do you have hard core evidence about the business problems faced in the area you are intending to cover? Do you have figures for the telecom costs paid for by every single business in that community? Have you spoken to over 50% of the citizens in the community you are attempting to cover to understand the issues faced?

Or are you just making it up as you go along and pretending YOU KNOW BEST?

Present evidence to my council, or any other. Stop inventing facts and figures. Stop pretending you have a solution, especially where unproven. Challenge the Councils with hard facts from dedicated research. Build demos by investing your own money not taxing rural people to fund unproven and dubious technologies.

STOP treating rural people as idiots. Not one of you has yet put in place a decent rural demo. Until you do, do not expect any of us to believe your claims. We don't believe the Councils etc, either, but at least we know they have no idea what they are trying to do.

2011-09-26T13:38:00.001+01:00

Purple pipe dreams or the road to nowhere...........?

Anyone travelling North on the M6 in Lancashire & Cumbria over the last few years could have noticed something being laid at the side of the hard shoulder - flexible plastic purple pipe which pops out of the ground occasionally where it needs to cross road bridges.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

In Scotland, purple pipe can only be used for the street lighting network as ducting for the electricity cables - so what is it used for in England and the rest of the UK?

Well, purple pipe outside of Scotland is apparently only used by telecom companies as ducting!

That got me thinking - if it can be laid at the side of a motorway without any problem, why can't it be laid at the side of all roads? In Cumbria there are roughly 1100kms of primary and secondary roads, plus at least the same in what are category "C" roads - and these roads pass to and through every settlement in the county.

Cumbria County Council received £17.1m for broadband from BDUK, and are throwing in another £6.8m themselves - not including any matched funding from the EU or the "chosen one".

If the County Council used this money to lay wonderful purple pipe along every road they are responsible for, there would be no excuse for any telecom providers to claim that they were unable to reach the last "10%" - the means of getting to them would already be in place!

Building this network wouldn't make the county council a teleco and have screams of “State Aid" thrown at them every 5 minutes – they would be building an open access transport only provision which could be used by multiple telecos (and rented out to them at an amount far less than BT charge).

The roads and verges are owned and maintained by the County Council - and we pay for upgrading and maintenance of them through vehicle licensing and Council tax - there wouldn't be any negotiations needed on right of way and access on their own land to build it - and by banishing forever the placing of copper into the duct, more fibre could be pulled through.

BT wouldn't like it, as it would break up their monopoly on running copper and fibre through what was a publically financed network of ducts, cabinets and poles built back in the 50's, 60’s & 70's by the then GPO - but as they charge an absolute fortune to anyone else to access that infrastructure, maybe the time has come for some real joined up thinking to make them realise they can't get away with it any longer!

This isn’t radical thinking – it works in many other countries where it seems to be the norm, so why not here? It may well be a purple pipe dream, but it sure beats the road to nowhere we’ve already got.........

Look to the stars....

2011-09-25T01:31:00.001+01:00

Not too long ago, I retweeted some info about the comparison of time it takes to send a data transmission off-planet or back to earth vs what us non-NASA humans have to put up with from telcos on planet earth. Then, coincidentally, there was a film on this evening that showed the moon landing during the opening credits and I remembered being dragged next door - we didn't have a TV till I was in my teens - and then the garden, to comprehend a) the TV and b) who was walking where that night. I was, as I recall, more impressed by the red and gold furry flock wallpaper than the box in the corner or the moon.....

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

It seems NASA have reached the limits of their data technology as it now takes 90 mins to send an HD photo from Mars to Earth. Obviously, my heart bleeds for them as it took me all weekend to send a few non HD photos to Flickr after Fibrewalk and as for being able to upload a video - Pah!

So, they are upping the ante.

However, maybe this is a lesson we can share with those who need to comprehend why higher capacity Internet is required. When my grandparents were born and started work at 14, there were few cars around, no tractors, and definitely no computers. For many, getting to market was an arduous task that did not involve Chelsea Tractors or the luxury of private travel. Working from home meant taking in menial sewing tasks and ironing. (Men could not work from home, as I recall from both my grandmothers, and had to be seen to be out there: earning, or fighting.)

NASA is going for 10Gbps between earth and a distant planet because that is what is required to do its job. Whilst you or I may not feel entitled to such speeds, the reality is that 10Gbps is feasible today on earth. To anyone. It's just that the telcos don't want to offer it or invest in it.

Far be it for me to once again suggest that our telcos are preventing each of us of achieving our dreams of becoming astronauts (or interior designers with aspirations for expensive wall paper, or...or....or.....), but whatever NASA (think bigger: science, R&D, research, academia etc) does, inevitably works its way back into our lives.

I'm sure Velcro was treated with the same "You'll never need it, no-one will ever use it" etc approach that gigabit broadband for the masses is now.......................Meanwhile, I don't feel that reaching for the stars for community and rural broadband is any less attainable than a furry, 3D wallpaper.

P.S. My next door neighbour was, and remains, one of the best lace designers in Europe. Nottingham has almost completely lost the distinction it previously held for the manufacture of lace, and the trade has been altered hugely from my childhood where colouring in her patterns was the highlight of every single day. Altair and every other colouring book had nothing on being part of Nottingham's lace industry 'waste' that I, as the only girl in the street, had full and unfettered access to with my crayons.

So, next time you buy lingerie or a lace tablecloth, look at the lace and see it as I do! An absolutely integral part of my childhood. What made you who you are? What are your childhood dreams? How will *you* reach the stars?

FibreWalk Time Travellers

2011-09-24T19:55:00.001+01:00

Fibre Walk has received some fantastic press coverage courtesy of the Herald. Thank you again to ITS for sponsorship. Read the copy below....

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

From Section 2 of the Cumberland and Westmorland Herald 24th September:

Above: Freddy Markham, armed with laptop, and other enthusiasts prepare to board the 1946 Leyland bus.

IT was a case of old meets new on Friday as a group of internet enthusiasts gathered in Kirkby Stephen's Market Square in order to be transported to Warcop via a classic coach for the UK's first public "Fibre Walk".

The group, led by broadband campaigner and Warcop parish councillor Lindsey Annison, walked a route from Warcop School towards the proposed site of the UK's first cyberbarn. Along the route, a group of 23 people discussed the challenges presented by DIY fibre cable laying across the landscape.

Present on the walk were representatives of a number of remote villages in different parts of the country who have grown tired of waiting for their lack of Internet access to be solved by the big telecoms companies and government, and have decided that their only solution is to take up spades and ploughs to dig the trenches that will house the fibre cables that bring future-proofed internet to their communities and businesses.

Also present were parish and county councillors, broadband consultants and fibre optic experts from across the north of England.

Special guest Donny Smith, of Minnesota-based Jaguar Communications, which has rolled out an extensive fibre broadband network in an extremely remote part of the United States, shared his expertise.

"Donny's experience in all aspects of fibre optic broadband, from the pitfalls to solutions, was incredibly valuable," said Lindsey, who was joined by John Heron, chairman of Warcop Parish Council, and Richard and Liz Wynne, of Warcop village hall new build committee.

The event was sponsored by ITS Technology, which is experienced in fibre and advanced network technologies. John Bookless, its chief executive,, said, "This event has done fibre to the home in rural communities proud, and ITS is delighted to have had the opportunity to share our expertise and be involved in such a fantastic initiative to increase awareness of the challenges we all face with hyperfast broadband."

Lies and more lies? OTU report p 95-6

2011-09-21T07:49:00.000+01:00

Now here's a fact that hasn't been reported widely yet, Britain came 10th for broadband in a fantastically interesting global report about ICT and broadband.....And then you spot the utter lie in the middle of the report and realise Britain's position is complete tosh propagated by god knows who, nor for what purpose, as it simply shows us as liars.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

The ITU "Measuring the Information Society" report came out a week ago, and you'd think the Brits would be celebrating, but it seems to have fallen under the radar a little.

Hardly surprising when on p.95-6 comes an outright lie about broadband in Britain which can only have skewed all the results for the UK. Whoever is responsible for feeding such untruths to OECD (from whom the data appears to have been supplied to ITU) deserves never ending sleepless nights and karmic payback on a level approaching bankers' bonuses.

"While in 2010, Germany and UK had similar fixed-broadband penetration rates, 59 per cent of the United Kingdom's were above 10Mbit/s, compared with only 30% per cent in Germany. Indeed, in the United Kingdom, 99% of all subscriptions are above 2Mbps"

Really - says who??????? What good does it do this nation to hide the truth of our broadband situation?

So, of the 79.6% of households connected to the Internet in UK (Annex 4), only 20% are sub-10Mbps? Jeremy, it seems you may need to rethink where that £530M has gone, mate.

I hope ITU (and/or) OECD may be willing to share the information about just who provided the figures for UK. If it proves to be Ofcom, our regulator's integrity and interests will once more come into question. If A N Other Body, such as an incumbent, then there have to be questions asked about why such "falsehoods" are permitted on behalf of an entire country to a respected global reporting body such as ITU.

One to look into more deeply. There are plenty of journalists out there who can get to the bottom of stories such as the phone hacking scandal so this should be a doddle.....

Fibrewalk Musings

2011-09-17T17:14:00.000+01:00

So, the day after the FibreWalk and am just pondering all that was discussed. As Colloquia went, it was perfect, and once again confirms the formula works: community + industry + public sector brings together a breadth and depth of knowledge and experience that is frequently missing from events targeted at specific sectors. No keynote speakers, just let everyone talk to each other. After all, each of us is an expert in our own right, aren't we?!

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

It certainly was Informal Yet Informative, and it would have been impossible to capture even a fraction of the individual and collective discussions which occurred as the group spread out across fields, bridges, roads, and footpaths, and then regrouped to look at specific issues which rural FTTH faces.

I guess the defining message from the day has to be the importance of communication within the necessary partnerships that will deliver next generation to rural areas such as Cumbria.

No community is an island.

The fibre industry knowledge that was available to all attendees yesterday from the ITS team, Donny Smith of Jaguar Communications, John Colton of Lucid (and others), highlighted the different approaches available, and required, to solve the thorny issue of Digital Britain. However, that industry knowledge is impressively enhanced by engaging with all levels of the community involved, from the wider County and District levels, down to Parish and individuals within that community.

There was little envy for the County Council with 9000 employees (represented by Janine from Durham County Council); yet, somehow those 9000 employees need to communicate effectively internally and externally in order to ensure that the region gets the right results. A tiny Parish with 6 Parish Councillors also has to capture the knowledge and opinions from within the parish to make sure the solution chosen suits everyone as part of the big picture for the Parish, now and in the future, as well as of the County. Finding the right professional advice from industry to look at potential solutions that may only be feasible when local input is harnessed is also vital. So, communication is key.

From technical solutions, such as FTTH, FTTC, FiWi, directional drilling under rivers and the concerns of the Environment Agency about bentonite (which is used to ensure the drill head turns smoothly) to the different names used worldwide for drilling equipment - hogs, snakes, ferrets, subsoilers, tillers etc, through funding - match funding, locally raised money for shares, BDUK, partnerships and syndicates- to sustainability, and on to the somewhat treacherous and unfamiliar grounds of archaeology, botany, AONBs, and protected species, I'm pretty sure we covered everything!

We had a representative of what must be the Final One Percent from the top end of Swaledale, and no-one can envy that community the search for a solution for the next generations, but there has to be one found if this country is to be digitally inclusive. There was much discussion about "Outside In" ie not focussing on areas where the market will (eventually) provide but on those areas where the solution is the most challenging, as well as most needed.

"Do it once and do it right" shone through, and James Saunby of Grey Sky Consulting outlined just how enormous the challenge is to do that in areas such as Northumberland where it has taken a mere 18 months for the EU to solve a simple State Aid issue to get the USC to people, let alone anything more permanent.

The debate about BT's FTTC cabinets being "fit for purpose" for next generation in rural areas was once again raised, and no matter how often this subject comes up, the answer always appears to be the same. They quite simply ain't part of the solution, mainly, it would seem, due to the design. Deliberate or otherwise, the cabs just don't seem to be future proofed e.g. for FTTH upgrade and anyone looking to spend money on rural FTTC should be aware of the shortcomings of those cabs, and look instead to other cabinets, and hence other solution providers, such as Rutland Telecom, Vtesse etc.

Access to backhaul is always going to be a problem and any region which doesn't address this problem before anything else is going to struggle. However, it was interesting to hear how county councils are having to look for ways to match fund whatever BDUK have allocated to them, before actually looking at the size of the problem within their region and what funds will be required to solve it. Considering how long the country has known that we need to get FTTH in, the central approach to solving it with the £530M does appear to be ill-thought out, whichever angle you look at it from.

Mobile coverage, which was patchy on the walk, shows that an enormous investment would be required to bring rural mobile broadband up to scratch if that were the only problem; yet, it doesn't take much to work out that mobile backhaul could be infinitely improved if FTTH or Fibre To The Village was solved first, with pico and femto cells deployed to back up more beefy existing mast backhaul.

The importance of the farms in our countryside cropped up again and again. Donny Smith (who is also a cattle farmer as well as a 10,000 square mile network builder) spoke at the evening meal about needing to be self-sufficient and valuing our farmers - as a nation we import a phenomenal quantity of food which we should be growing ourselves. Farmers have a diverse range of skills, as well as knowing their land intimately, and we should all be much more aware of their part in our future, for broadband and beyond. The farm shown on the graphic is just one of approximately 300,000 in the UK, but a stark warning about the future for such important industries came during the walk when news broke that an industry which used to employ 196,000 people had lost four of the remaining 6000 miners in a tragic accident.

The landowners and farmers in rural UK stand to play an integral part in next generation broadband, particularly for community-led networks, and it was good to have at least three farmers on the walk to give accurate information about how that could work and what is required.

Does everyone want all-singing, all-dancing tomorrow's world applications? It seemed there was far more concern over not being able to do even the day to day online tasks today, and it was reported that villages close to exchanges are expressing interest in community fibre projects because the 6-8Mbps they have today is already insufficient. The USC is not just backward thinking, it is also totally unrealistic as a target for consumer contentment. It is, more than likely, a rod for our own backs.

One of the exciting things for me about the FibreWalk is seeing how a small village begins to understand just what future-proofed next generation broadband means for seemingly unrelated projects - the village hall, the school, regeneration of community assets, and developing new business opportunities, such as tourism and social enterprises off the back of it. Public meetings? Pah! Take the village for a walk and the light finally begins to dawn how broadband really is at the centre of everything, as people like myself have been saying for a very long decade and more.

Much, much more was discussed and, well.. you had to be there!

#fibrewalk

2011-09-17T02:14:00.000+01:00

Brilliant!! It was always destined to be a unique event and I'm proud to have been on it.
This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

23 people from Cumbria, Yorkshire, Surrey, Minnesota... Wow! The rain held off. We discussed, I think, many of the issues (what did we miss?!) you face in 1, 10 or 10,000 square miles of rural FTTH.

Thanks to ITS the sponsors, Warcop Parish Council, Donny, each and every attendee, Darren at the pub, the weather and a few hidden folk who made today possible.

@johnpopham filmed it all so don't miss out.

All I can say is a massive thank you to everyone and ... Wow! We can JFDI now. So good to meet the last few people in the jigsaw, face to face.

A great day. And we will be doing more of these #FibreWalk events all through the next 12 months to make sure word gets out about what is possible with a little communication!

Cat5 the twisted purr and I are listening to the rain (missed us!) and cogitating on another successful event made possible by the incredible people who showed up. Thank you all.

Our NGA Vision is.....

2011-09-11T05:29:00.000+01:00

Calling grassroots activists and everyone with an idea about Digital Britain, USC delivery, nextgen broadband etc

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

There's a fab but constantly evolving doc doing the rounds that you might like to help make public. In the old days, it would have been called a chain letter.

There are 60 million people in this country who could spend money effectively on public services, so if you know how you would like to see £530M + spent on broadband, please get involved in the letter doing the rounds. Pass it on to your MP, councillors etc, at whatever point you see it.

Without a doubt, the best suggestion so far is that counties lay ducts in the roads and rent them out on a long term basis to fibre infrastructure suppliers. But many of the other ideas are great too!

If you see the doc on HTTP, post a link. It's currently under the radar and the last three times I have seen it in emails, it had changed radically from the previous attempts but it's getting way more exciting now....

If you are a councillor, please get in touch so we can try to get you one of the latest copies for your area.

I used to hate those chain letters, but this one gives me hope!

AFL Telecommunications have given me the best birthday present ever!

2011-09-08T22:53:00.000+01:00

Who wants flowers?! I'd like to send a huge public thank you to all the team at AFL Telecommunications......

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

AFL have sent me 1 mile of fibre as a fab gift, in time for my birthday. This means that the Cyberbarn project (which received funding as a UK Online Outreach Centre yesterday) will be sitting on top of a very fat, future-proofed fibre connection back to the village.

I cannot thank AFL enough for their support for this project, and others in the past. AFL's involvement in rural FTTH shows exactly how community and industry partnerships can work to move Digital Britain forwards. So, to Barry, Graham, Jo, Jane and Steve, a massive thank you.

More on the Cyberbarn project at the Colloquium and there will be regular progress reports here as we turn a farm building into a unique Fibre Training Centre, cybercafe, ONline Centre and, more than likely, my second home!

When modern technology meets vintage!

2011-09-08T22:28:00.000+01:00

Colloquium Update for Friday 16th September event.....

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

I just thought you would all like to see the fabulous bus we will be travelling on next Friday to the walk. Cumbria Classic Coaches' 1946 Leyland Tiger.

Rosie has a very special place in our household as we named her. We were sleeping in her one night many moons ago at the Barnard Castle Steam Fair (like you do!) and there had to be a bedtime story for the twins. So, she was christened Rosie and it stuck.

Fibre Walk Colloquium

2011-09-05T16:09:00.000+01:00

The First Mile

2011-09-02T12:11:00.004+01:00

Thanks to Lindsey for letting me contribute - as a consultant I feel I'm intruding, but I've a question about The First Mile (Last Mile for UK telecoms traditionalists - the one closest to the customer, though)...

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

I recently came upon a problem with wanting to define The First Mile. The problem is going to arise more over the next few months since broadband projects seek funding beyond BDUK. Some of these (like ERDF and probably DEFRA) want to fund the community networks, but not sink even more money into backhaul that never gets to benefit end users.

The definition that had been suggested was "from customer to cabinet".

This presents some obvious problems - it suggests FTTC (which I hear not everyone favours?) and anyway, not all line use cabinets, particularly in rural areas.

So the question is - what should the definition be?

At the moment I'm proposing "from the customer to the exchange".

Admitedly this does suppose some telecoms involvement, and probably BT involvement, but that is probably just a reality. It has the advantages (I think) of being flexible to ensure the feeder connection from exchange to community network can also be funded, and in being technology neutral.

But any other ideas?

How others are doing rural connectivity

2011-09-02T07:10:00.000+01:00

Great quote: “For those who stay firm, there is commercial potential in rural connectivity too,” proclaims Ginguld. A social enterprise offering wireless broadband in northern India and the Himalayas is chucking up to 70Mbps at deeply rural communities with ingenuity and innovation.......
This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Are we really going to be satisfied with connecting our own rural communities with 2Mbps? Or are we going to bite the bullet and keep up with remote and rural folk across the world in far more dire situations than our own?

If a project such as AirJaldi can create 20 local jobs, then that should be one of the criteria of any money spent in the UK too. Not just moving existing employees around the country to then claim that new employment has been created in the region, but real new jobs being created, running the networks, offering tech support, training the community etc to be self-supporting.

Shouldn't we, in reality, be embarrassed about how we are tackling the problem here? Why are we throwing such vast quantities of money to only achieve such minimal solutions as are being talked about on a daily basis now? The USC has always been the lowest bar you could possibly set, but where are the innovative pilots that BDUK promised to fund that we could be as proud of as those behind AirJaldi?

AirJaldi is more next gen than the connectivity the vast majority of the UK Final Third are going to enjoy this decade at the rate we are going.....

Read more about AirJaldi

Do County Councils need NGA spelling out AGAIN?

2011-09-01T18:44:00.000+01:00

Once again, it would seem so, with Devon & Somerset's latest decision to use satellite (yes, you read that correctly) to deliver NGA.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Whilst I have no issues with satellite broadband as an infill technology similar to ADSL, neither can be termed as Next Generation Access even with the most dumbed down definition available. (And boy, are there a few of those doing the rounds!)

Devon & Somerset CC had £750k of RDPE funding for NGA, split into two lots. Lot 2 was for Exmoor and was withdrawn - which begs the question if the money has been earmarked to be spent elsewhere, as in Lancashire. Lot 1 - value £400k - was awarded to Satellite Solutions Worldwide.

Now, Devon and Somerset have BDUK funding to the tune of £30M for the region so one has to wonder whether the "built-in obsolence" of this RDPE funded project is deliberate, or political for longer term box-ticking aims. Or is the RDPE project quite simply a waste of money?

Whichever it is, it once again highlights the failure of County Councils to be the right body to administer such funds destined for NGA on behalf of the communities that need Next Generation, not stopgap solutions for ulterior motives. This is hardly the first time I have brought this up as regular readers know; each new announcement seems to further illustrate that County Councils quite simply do not have the wherewithal nor experience to make considered decisions on this subject.

This is not a rant against County Councils per se. The lack of this IT and broadband knowledge in-house at CCs was known long before these decisions were foisted upon them. It is one of the reasons the RDAs nurtured broadband/IT specialists and departments. Many of those people have seemingly found their way into County Councils; yet these decisions still keep coming - are the experts failing to be heard, p'raps?

There has been so much nambypambying over the years, with everyone trying desperately not to upset telcos, ministers, State Aid etc, or lose their coveted jobs and perks, whilst juggling with the complex reality that BROADBAND AFFECTS EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES. This decision seems to be yet another one that confirms that UK broadband has truly lost its way in reaching any of the stated aims of this and preceding governments, the EU, let alone providing something that consumers and businesses could use to try to regain the path to economic recovery UK Plc so urgently needs to find.

We, or rather our 'elected bodies', seem amazingly willing to haemorrage our money on short-sighted projects in a way most businesses must and do find quite horrifying. Each of us as business owners could not even contemplate taking such risks with scarce capital without seriously considering the effect this will have on our businesses further down the line. Best value tests, due diligence, SWOT analysis, scenario planning, cost-benefit, etc - are these anathema to public sector?

On top of all this, one has to wonder at the growing prevalence of stories coming this way of existing companies or community networks being steamrollered out of existence by public money where they are ALREADY delivering services. I have been following one particular region (not Cumbria, so that should narrow it down for you!) since the announcement of the four pilot areas for BDUK funding, and am in regular contact with a company whose very existence, expansion plans and customer base are under threat by BDUK procurement in an area where NGA services of 100Mbps are already being delivered.

Devon and Somerset has similar companies, already delivering service, as do most other regions due to market failure, telco reluctance to invest, and this recurring theme of public funding being used inappropriately.

The failure of County Councils to engage with those commercially delivering service, let alone seemingly to be even aware of what is happening on their own patch, despite regular attempts to inform them of the existence of broadband services which will be threatened if misinformed decisions are made, further reinforces the growing feeling that we are now in the midst of a train crash.

Is it not time to reassess how we are spending what little money we have to achieve the stated NGA aims - which really are not that complicated? Where is the experienced business person advising the government on next gen broadband issues, who understands the impact broadband has across the board, and not just in ticking 2Mbps boxes? Is it really so damned difficult, even in the seeming absence of a business brain, to see from other countries who have gone wholeheartedly for FTTH strategies, what a difference this can make in social and economic impact?

As I wrote recently, every step of the FTTH walk is a challenge. We all know that, so why are we sticking our heads in the sand and our bums in the air, leaving us wide open for a good kick? We should be tackling the real problem head on and taking up the challenge, not pussy footing around it and delaying the start date, for year after year after year. It will not get any easier, only harder, leaving us ever further behind our competitors. Or are too many people in the UK content to do nothing (positive), oblivious to the fact that we are gifting our children's precious energies, time and any remaining resources clearing up after this train wreck we seem so determined to create for our next generation?

FibreWalk - every step a challenge

2011-08-25T04:44:00.000+01:00

I'm not a dancing fool, despite what some may think, and learning all the steps for The FibreWalk has been tough. And it has exposed some of the real problems this country faces in meeting its (broadband) aims. But it has brought the possible solutions far closer. I think it is time to teach many more people how to do the FibreWalk.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Many moons ago, I wrote and spoke about public private community (PPC) partnerships. As I recall, it was just before PFI and public-private partnerships became all the rage. Sadly, over the years, there have been few if any successful PPC initiatives in the broadband arena in the UK - or none that I can think of. In fact, more often than not, what we see is quite the opposite.

Often we get an unpleasant insight into public, private and community "egos" who, instead of working together, pointlessly pull each other apart. Working against each other rather than together. Whether for profit, or pensions, or perks - the motivations ruin any chances of successful solutions. It's time to bin that egotistical and self-serving approach.

We all know FTTH is the optimal solution. We know that there are many reasons that hinder progress. But it is only when you bring together the three ingredients which have been integral to EVERY event I have ever organised or been involved in - Public Sector, Private Sector and Community/Consumer, that it becomes clear what is required to get this country where it need be broadband-wise. I've been quite content to watch the terms I have coined - FiWi, JFDi broadband etc - "borrowed" without even a credit, but where has it got us if you lot all insist on working alone in your silos?

Work together, people.

So, enough talking now - we've talked the talk. Now, let's Walk the Walk.

This week, I was privileged to go on a walk across beautiful rural countryside with people for whom the technological problems of delivering FTTH are their every day bread and butter. It was ace! BUT....what is new to the techies, as it is for many including BT and VM, is rural FTTH. It's very different to digging up urban estates and roads. Literally every step proved to be another reason to stop, talk, discuss, problem solve etc. And at that point, you start to understand why the #FinalFraction is quite difficult. Whether it is 10% or 30% - how do you reach that final fraction with FTTH? That answer is not fully clear right now when so many are playing their own game.

However, projects such as B4RN show it can be done. And the transparency behind B4RN shines a light on the failings in far too many other projects - cards held close to chests, a failure to be open and honest, the focus on money rather than achievements, etc.

What can and must be shared, without it being abused by fat cats and greedy guts, is how the people that live in rural areas solve problems. Grassroots and community solutions have been developed over centuries, especially when these communities are a long way from the decision makers.

The FibreWalk was completely eye-opening. Each step opened all our eyes to both problems and solutions. All surmountable, as it happens, but fascinating in the different approaches taken by each side. I say "side" to emphasise the failures highlighted earlier in this post. There are no sides - we must work together.

Local knowledge can reduce costs. Technical know how can provide insights into the 'right way' to do things, so we can then apply local knowledge to make future-proofed solutions happen from the outset. A dyke, ditch, culvert or beck may appear to need drilling for the professionals. For communities, you go and find where the farmer's water pipe runs under that watercourse. Simple. And we ask the Environment Agency to start looking urgently at consents for works around water courses etc in tandem with the community needs.

Need to know what utilities are in this field? Well, this field belongs to X and according to the farmer I just asked, the owner should be moving sheep today from A to B, so let's look for him and ask our questions. And LISTEN to the answers. Engage the farmer, the person who knows this land far better than any other.

BT can't ask this type of question, nor can VM or any other commercial player. Not without paying. But local people can. And you can guarantee that by the time you have located said farmer, he already knows you are looking for him. Rural jungle drums don't need mobile coverage as much as those who have lost touch with the land - I've decided farmers are psychic!

Want to build a rural FTTH network in the UK to the Final Third, Tenth, Ninth or any other fraction? Then you need all the players to work together. This is not 'divide and conquer' time, nor a land grab, nor a chance for some civil servant to secure their pension on the back of it. It is time to put aside egos and profits, and work together.

We need folks in wellies walking across the countryside, looking at each bit of the fibre route and resolving each problem as it presents itself. Whether that is connectivity into ManAp, TeleCity, EuroIX, or using Electricity North West's poles to cross the countryside using existing infrastructure, or demanding that BT remove the failing copper and aluminium from ducts that need fibre in, or asking farmers to share their intimate knowledge with their own land.

It is time to work together. Stretch the money taken from the BBC coffers (which we have all paid into) as far as it will go to achieve what is required for the NEXT GENERATION.

I am getting bloody bored of saying it now but there is a bit of the FiWiPie for everyone. Even the greedy who are only looking to line their own pockets - and boy, has broadband brought those out of the woodwork in droves.

Stop trying to rip off those who care about this land and the people who live here. We need FTTH, not 11 alternative technologies that will require yet more funding very soon to be future-proofed. Or technologies without sustainable business plans that rural Parish Councils accept because of a lack of professional advisors on their side. Nor State Aid arguments that scare rural businesses and residents from making sensible choices, or ill-informed media reports.

What we need now is to JFDI and Do It Right.

JFDI rural FTTH connects its first users.

2011-08-25T03:10:00.002+01:00

Some things just make you cheer!

As some of you may know, I went out to the USA in January 2010 to meet projects who were doing FTTH in innovative ways, as well as in rural areas. I was privileged and honoured to be invited by Geoff Daily and Tim Nulty to the community FTTH event in Salt Lake City, hosted by Todd Marriott of Utopia, and to meet many of the people who have helped me fight for rural FTTH. Some of those people changed my life, becoming true friends in the process.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

I discovered you could buy multi-city flights which worked out far cheaper than direct flights, and was lucky enough to visit the Deep South, as well as the frozen north. That decision may be key to other choices which are now open to rural communities in the UK - more on that another time.

Actually, it was far warmer in Utah, Chicago and Denver than the UK at that point! Minus 17 when I left Cumbria. Snow and ice at Heathrow meant the first flight was cancelled with only hours to go and I had to purchase American Airline flights as British Airways did the British thing and ran scared of the snow. It was hovering around zero in the north of America! Warm and toasty ;)

Tim Nulty and I had exchanged many, many emails by this point and I couldn't wait to meet him. His project with ECFiber had become a goal: not just to visit, but to emulate. And Utopia has been on my 'must visit' list since it launched. Todd was a simply incredible host, even if he was convinced he would never get me out of that broadband bus!

The emails recently, after a lengthy 2 years where I have learnt far more about American politics, funding, municipal bonds and much more than I ever expected to, are the icing on the cake. They JFDI!! Well done ECfiber.

ECFiber Goes Live!

SOUTH ROYALTON – Having completed its beta testing, and with the Phase I project nearly complete, ECFiber began connecting its first customers today. Eight customers have been beta-testing the system for the past two weeks, getting sustained 5Mbps symmetrical service.

The Barnard General Store, one of the beta sites, has been offering the experience to customers via WI-FI, and has been finding folks on their doorstep at all hours, trying out the system.

“It’s been amazing,” says Kim Furlong, one of the store’s proprietors. “Because so much more of what we do is online, it is truly a joy to reap the reward of high-speed internet. Dial-up, and even satellite, is such a time-robber. Fiber is very different – you can be more efficient, and that is exciting. At the same time, I have some trepidation. People are going to relocate here more permanently because of what is available, and that is probably going to change the fabric of the community.”

According to Project Coordinator Leslie Nulty, 15 new accounts were opened within the first 24 hours after the doorstep delivery of information packets. Barnard Academy, another beta site, is also very excited about the service. They are planning an open house and community celebration of ECFiber’s arrival in mid-October.

Barnard was chosen for the Phase I project because of its proximity to the central office and its large number of unserved users. Pre-registrations topped 90% before the project started. Phase II, to build out the rest of the town of Barnard, is in the planning stages, with an informational meeting set for Thursday night at 7PM at the Barnard Town Hall.

----------
ECFiber is a group of 23 towns working to build a community-owned, subscriber-funded Fiber-to-the-Home network to provide phone, television, and ultra-high-speed internet services to 100% of the homes and businesses in the member towns.

--------------

The problems faced by the project have been strikingly similar to UK project problems. Promises of the Subsidy (BDUK etc in the UK) funding led many to believe in pots of gold at the end of rainbows. Far too many think that established telcos will provide, even when faced with overwhelming evidence that such has not been the case in the last decade (read: 50+ years in America and Britain where the original telecom networks were often initiated, just as other utilities such as electricity and water, by the communities themselves).

Untold hours of passionate volunteers' lives have been wasted with the promise of public funding, just as they are now in the UK. Until finally, one day, you wake up and say: Let's JFDI! (That was one of the best emails I have had from Tim and Leslie!)

But ECFiber didn't go for an interim FiWi solution. We did talk about this at length in 2009/2010, but the figures simply do not stack up. This determination from the word go to deliver FTTH is more than just laudable - it is sustainable too. Especially for those communities that ECFiber connects. There is no need now to find yet more funding, somewhere down the road, to build a FTTH network to remote and far flung properties.

Watch this space for more news of US-UK collaboration and a colloquium in mid-September that you simply cannot afford to miss........

BDUK Money

2011-08-18T02:47:00.000+01:00

Have managed not to post the drafts that have been in the wings for several days, and those which were then written when the BDUK announcement became official. But, I will say this.....

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

The riots were a very visible symptom of much that is wrong in this country - in inner cities, for youngsters, for the impoverished, the excluded etc.

However, there are many INVISIBLE signs of what is wrong in this country - for manufacturers, farmers, those in rural areas, those digitally excluded. Meanwhile, people have been so British - keep calm and chocolate on, #riotwombles, #operationcupoftea, and all those who just go to work as normal. Each and every day.

Yet, has a single Gummint Minister thanked those who did NOT riot, those who cleaned up, those who kept the food and information flowing whilst you sat on your beaches? Have you thanked those bloggers and citizen journalists who tweeted or spoke from the streets with honourable, sensible advice to make up for the lack of central advice on WTF to do? Or have you been too busy slagging off those in opposition and highlighting your own failings?

Right now, to us, the electorate, you ALL look like you are in opposition. To the people of this nation.

Should we, the forgotten ones, riot too to get your notice, to bring you back from holiday, to bring you down to earth?

I've just binned 3 or 4 blog posts about why rural communities haven't. Yet. Rioted. But not just rural peeps, I think I speak for many other sectors too. Our patience is wearing thin with you, Westminster. You are TOO out of touch.

As an example, I suspect that throwing £530M (or a similar combin8tion of digits thereof) at the digital broadband problem will only exacerbate the divides and cracks that are now tearing this country apart. Because, IMHO and probably many others, this "solution" is yet again ill-informed, ill-suited to the problem and so, so, so poorly executed that you (who claim to be in charge) can only come in for flak.

Do any of you actually understand the problem you are endeavouring to solve? Or are you blinded by the glaring tarnish (sorry, varnish) of the glittering last century telco death throes?

Want my honest opinion? What an almighty cock-up you are busy creating. And so avoidable if you were less arrogant and listened to the people in this country.

Do I trust you to spend this BDUK money wisely? Not a bloody chance. You are already deeply in the mire of getting it wrong, and seem to have no comprehension of what results your actions will bring. Nor care.

Whether it is about Broadband or I want JD Sports or unprepared police forces sent to face 200 rioters with no kit - Westminster and local authorities seem unable to make even a simple decision any more from the ivory towers. Individually, some of you are doing well, but collectively - what a bloody shower you are.

Maybe your lofty perches are not the best places for y'all, after all? Perhaps, just perhaps, bending an ear to the ground, where the vast hubbub of activity takes place, is long overdue?

Anyone ready to #JFDI, stick around!

Why Our Society will win eventually

2011-08-12T02:40:00.002+01:00

It's really quite simple. We will JFDI.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

You can throw bureaucracy at us until you are blue in the face. Regulations such as H&S, ASA, Ofcom, VOA, etc etc are no longer scary. If one thing has come out of the riots, it should be that 'authority' needs to realise that its barriers are weak and destructible.

Especially when these restrictions have no reason to be there. I am NOT condoning the riots in any shape or form, but I am saying that if you keep putting unnecessary barriers in our way to allow sensible things to happen in our neighbourhoods, you will face community people who are determined to do what is right.

I don't mean this in an anarchic manner, I mean it in a Big Society /Our Society manner. I sat in a room with Nat Wei when he said we in Cumbria should JFDI and ask for forgiveness later. None of us are planning to break laws. All we are trying to do is connect people and protect MILLIONS of POUNDS of public money from being unnecessarily wasted. Cumbria has already seen this happen once with £19M+ thrown at Project Access (NWDA and Commendium received the bulk of it). The citizens are not willing to see that happen again.

You CANNOT shut our public toilets for the sake of a few hundred pounds a year, and throw millions at poorly thought out broadband projects. What sort of electorate would we be if we permitted you to do that?

The entire reason for the BDUK funding was to look at "innovative rural pilots". The idea was to find potential solutions and run with them, whether they worked or not; we were going to suck it and see.

The intention was NEVER EVER to try to solve other existing problems within county councils' IT systems. It was to solve the Final Third and to see if there was, perchance, a solution for the last 10-30% who need internet connectivity to move the economy and society forwards.

The last few days have proven that society is in a place many of us had failed to recognise. A hell hole. It may be quiet tonight but now an entire generation, and others, know that all you need is 50 or so people and the fabric of this once great country in any locality begins to crumble.

Scary? Yes, and so it should be. We have undermined the structure of this country for so long, hidden behind rules and regulations, pushed hard working and valuable individuals to the extremities of society. For what? So that councillors can earn their pension? So consultants and their chums can cash in our ever-decreasing public coffers? And so that the seriously concerned community activists are undermined at every turn? [Feel free to add your 2p]

What we must do now is open the channels of communication so that this society moves back to the places all of us wish it to be.

STOP trying to spend money for the sake of it because it must be spent by April/October etc. Spend money where it should be spent.

STOP bringing in consultants whose only concern is their next skiing holiday. Bring in those who care about the community.

STOP overpaying for information. If you need to pay to find out how a sink estate thinks, don't fund a consultant; pay the residents of the sink estate.

START using the people who know what is needed in their communities. Employ and pay the community leaders.

START asking real people what they want.

START using the resources in any community - Parish Councils, local newsletters, citizen journalists, press and radio.

START to look at what is actually required: educate the community with demos and videos. Then, and only then ask them what they may want.

START to engage the community bodies so that there is a voice for local people. Demonstrating in Westminster is not an option for 99% of the populace - give them a voice.

START to force councils to work on a push not pull mentality. Go OUT to the people and hear them where they are willing to talk. Don't expect folk to play your game in your chamber. Go and listen instead.

START to JFDI. Whatever it is that you believe in. Do It. Every fantastic project ever has come from an individual's passion. Not from a budget decision. If you care about it in your community, JFDI.

Launched! B4RN - Broadband 4 Rural North

2011-08-11T04:41:00.000+01:00

The Broadband 4 Rural North project has launched. This post will endeavour to give a little background to the project from my point of view as a Founder Member, and maybe, just maybe, persuade a few people from outside the area to get involved as shareholders.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

I could write about how long I have known Barry Forde - my first keynote speaker at the first broadband event (AFAIK) in the UK - and why I respect him so much. Or how much I hate the fact that his vision for Project Access was kyboshed till it became an utter joke that remains an embarrassment to this day in Cumbria. Or my regard (read: love) for Chris Conder (aka Cyberdoyle) and all she has achieved and continues to, or my interest in rural broadband, or my long-held conviction that FTTH + FiWi is the answer, whatever the question! What matters is not the past or opinions, but the present and future for rural areas seeking true broadband solutions.

Lancashire is little different from any other county. It has large conurbations, such as Blackpool, Preston and Burnley, as well as vast swathes of rural hinterlands. Attempts to bring true broadband to the county in the past have been piecemeal and on the whole ineffective, despite a few best efforts. Yes, VM and others have reached into the urban areas but there has been little appetite to reach the tendrils of broadband to those who need it most.

Last year, Lancaster City Council decided to apply for £750,000 RDPE funding to run an innovative pilot project to a small patch of rural Lancs and connect 320 businesses to a future-proofed fibre network. The project was cut to the cloth available, as you would expect in a county renowned for its textile history, but only progressed part way across the loom (or Lune). For one reason and another (which cannot be discussed here due to ongoing scrutiny), that project was set aside in favour of the City working on a far more extensive project with the County Council - to bring broadband to the whole of Lancs, spending a minimum of £30M, match funded to £60M by a winning bidder.

The key thinker behind the initial RDPE bid proposal went back to his shed to ponder. (I am beginning to think of him as a cross between Great Uncle Bulgaria and Wellington!). Some time later, our much respected and friendly Fibre Womble appeared in our inboxes and said, "Let's JFDI anyway".

And so, B4RN was (re)born at the beginning of this year. New name, far greater ambitions, a business plan that had taken off from the fledgling idea that had been quite literally knocked out of the nest before it grew wings, and a team who are at the very least determined to give this a serious go. Again!

Do it once and do it right seems to have become the mantra, with a strap line of "B4RN will go the extra mile".

Looking at who has been cced into many of the mails during the past half year and more, I estimate almost 200 years of business, technical and local expertise were involved from the outset. As each day passes, this grows, and grows, and grows, and we must be getting close to (if not passed) 1000 years of experience already from those inputting into the project on a daily basis. Not only is that no mean feat, but it means that B4RN is benefiting from experience that covers a wide tranche of knowledge and viewpoints.

The work behind the scenes has been phenomenal. Opinions have been sought on every aspect - locally, nationally and from world renowned experts in many fields - this is not just about broadband as the project will be community-owned and run.

Every property has been mapped and distances calculated. Suppliers, partnerships and potential JVs discussed, chased up, and the intricacies of the tech design put through its paces. Landowners approached, discussions held, minutiae bandied about to get agreement. Finances pored over with fine toothcombs, taken to expert advisors, and regurgitated with increasingly positive noises. Meetings have been held across the area already, and more are planned for the first two weeks of September because engagement of the local community is paramount. Fliers are at the printers, although many started to be circulated at the beginning of this week. The website has been built and then re-designed and built again. (And this paragraph cannot even begin to encapsulate what has been going on with B4RN in 2011!)

Whilst none of us think that this is going to be an easy task, one of the uplifting threads to all of this has been the willingness to TRY. Lawyers looking at legal details through magnifying glasses, local people with and without knowledge of the internet helping to put each aspect into context for neighbours, online and offline friends offering incredibly useful advice (you know who you are, we will get to it all asap!) ETC.

The T of the SWOT analysis hardly needs to be done when the Local Authority is planning a county wide procurement, but the reality of that deployment is that the 8 parishes involved in B4RN have little chance of getting more than 2 -10 Mbps from that. One of the bidders cannot even tell anyone what technology they plan to use nor what capacity that will offer to this area this week. B4RN is offering a gig.

We can argue round that figure as much as you wish, but the detail is in the Business Plan on the website. We have been as transparent as anyone could ever wish, and possibly more so than could be deemed sensible, but maybe that just shows up the foolhardy nature of constantly citing "commercial sensitivity" with PUBLICLY FUNDED projects. Why hide the detail away? What if the community could contribute if only they knew? B4RN works on that basis...you, yes, you, may have something that will help this project succeed so we need to make sure you can see where that might be.

B4RN is seeking no public funding to go ahead. One of the gripes I have had for far too long is that no-one has been pursuing the Public-Private-Community Partnerships that I have been pushing since before CBN days. Use public money, get private sector involved, but use the money of the SMEs and residents in the community too.

In this instance, I am an honorary resident, and you will all be glad to know that my promise to put my dosh where my very big mouth is earlier this year has been more than accepted by B4RN! And I am relieved to finally have a project to back. With similar support from others who fancy a punt, B4RN could prove the viability and sustainability of rural FTTH once and for all. The best bit is that I get to choose which property benefits from my investment and gets 1 year's free connection to B4RN so I've been looking at holiday cottages for working weekends away in the Trough of Bowland and the Lune Valley ;)

So, take a look at B4RN. We don't have £1million or £30million to play with before starting, but we have a serious business plan and vision that few others share right now for rural FTTH gigabit broadband. We are JFDI with this community's support - both the geographic community, and the community of interest around the world who reads blogs like this and want to see a project with heart and brains succeed. Register your interest to receive the share offer doc in October, and why not consider putting a few pennies behind B4RN? Between us, we could connect a fair few holiday cottages and that bit of Lancs is scenic, friendly, and within spitting distance of the coast and the Lakes .... I feel a Gigabit colloquium coming on ;)

Dear NextGenUs CIC Ltd etc

2011-08-09T04:35:00.000+01:00

STOP CONTACTING ME. Directors: Steve Dixon, Tony Rookes, Simon Davidson and Guy Jarvis. You have been asked umpteen times, publicly and privately.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

I don't want Unsolicited Commercial Email from your company or your blog. It is illegal. I did not sign up to your news and I want to UNSUBSCRIBE immediately. As, I suspect, do many others who also did not opt in. Please put an Unsubscribe option on every single email you send out from now to meet the regulations.

I cannot prevent your CEO following me on Twitter other than blocking him, but I and many others have a problem with him masquerading under a pseudonym eg paul_ander73 : his latest 'identity', as can be clearly seen on his "professional" Linkedin profile

I don't want texts late at night or early in the morning or any other time of the day or night from NGU. I am not your customer and do not need/want/desire/expect texts at 7.14am or 1.21am.

If this continues, I will seek an injunction against your CEO and your company.

It is quite simple. Stop.

Competitive broadband market? Compete with this!

2011-08-02T10:22:00.000+01:00

Seems wholesale prices for fibre longhaul are plummeting, with a 63% drop in 2 years for a 10Gbps wavelength from Los Angeles to Tokyo now costing £22,000 ($36,000) as compared to £60,000 ($98,500) in 2009.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

What has caused the drop? Three new undersea cables, mucho more capacity, and a host of new competition. Funny that. The competition comes when you chuck as much capacity as you can at the problem, not the least.

Unity - a total capability of 7.68 Tbit/s
Trans-Pacific Express -a total capability of 5.12Tbps
Asia - America Gateway - a total capability of 2.88Tbps

Individual customers can start with a 10Gbps wavelength. I can feel the need to move coming on again: after all we are now down to less than the price I was quoted for 2Mbps!

When will we see a similar drop in longhaul/backhaul prices within the UK? Or are we going to continue to pursue the scarcity model forever?

LA to Tokyo is 5400 miles, which would be 9 times up and down the UK from Land's End to John O'Groats - as crows fly. So, it seems that pricing by distance doesn't always have to apply.

Diary of an FTTC Install

2011-07-29T08:11:00.000+01:00

Here you go.... this is what happens when your area gets upgraded by BT for FTTC and you order a connection on a new line....

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Diary of an FTTC install. Many thanks to a highly respected reader of this blog for sharing.

I am going to do a post shortly about the BT FTTC cabs so if anyone has any photos or info on them they would care to share, I'd be glad to hear from you. Or you can just comment on the post when I slag BT off, which with the info I currently have it is going to prove very difficult not to.

Competition: What would you do with time on your hands?

2011-07-28T23:38:00.000+01:00

Ok then, let's have some real world experimentation for this first competition sponsored by Geo .....

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

The increasingly boring arguments about why on earth you would need more bandwidth than is available (to some) right now got me thinking. If I could download/upload the large files I need to for work (let alone the ones my kids would like to be able to for entertainment) far faster than today, what would I do with the time that could free up? After all, driving 60 miles to deliver a CD with a few fat files on is getting rather tedious, as well as expensive in fuel at £1.45 a litre.

So, I thought I'd try downloading a gig of data and see how long it actually took. The process is still ongoing as I write this.... Then, I wondered how long it took other people to do, which is where you all come in!

The link below is to a 1 GB file for you to download, and I'm asking that you time that download and post how long it took you. Bear in mind that 1GB of data is not actually a great deal when you consider that most memory cards and dongles are far bigger than that nowadays. I have never bothered trying to download a movie as it is too tedious a process currently (and don't tell me to do it overnight as that's when I work, as you all know), but at a guess this is approximately what a film is.

http://windows.mouselike.org/windows.mouselike.org/share/dump/1gbfile.zip

Here's a stopwatch for you to time it so post your results......how long did it take you?

Obviously, the purists would say that you shouldn't do anything else whilst trying to download it to give a proper indication of how long it takes to download a gig, but that's not how the real world or most people's computer use functions, is it? Oh, and if you go over your download limit for the month, don't blame me!

Now, I have some prizes here for the best answer in the first of two competitions we are running, very kindly sponsored by Geo.

The quiz question is this: if you had a faster connection eg 1Gbps so this file would take a remarkably short time to download, what would you do with the time freed up by having a mega connection?

The best answer will win some ace Geo goodies, including the Geo Rubik Cube which I am now very fond of and don't even vaguely want to part with! Get downloading and thinking up your answer.

GO!

Chattanooga gets IT - shows UK up.

2011-07-28T02:28:00.000+01:00

As some of you may know, I have been evangelising what is going on in Chattanooga for rather a long time - years rather than months. And it's not just me who gets the train analogy. Yesterday evening, in case you missed it, Jim Ingraham of EPB in Chattanooga was interviewed on Gigabit Nation's inaugural broadcast for all to hear precisely why people like myself believe that a smart grid Chattanooga/LUS Fibre/joined up solution is the way forward. And will always be infinitely better than half-assed solutions such as FTTC or the unproven/disproven ideas of far too many of those who appear to end up as bidders in the procurement process.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

All I can say is that if you cannot afford the time to listen to this interview, you should abscond yourself from any responsibility for or opinions about what Digital Britain needs.

Thank you, once again, to all those I met in the USA last year for being leading lights for FTTH.

Ofcom broadband speed tests

2011-07-27T01:39:00.000+01:00

Once again, we have an Ofcom report about broadband speeds to peruse.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Samknows has run tests in 1767 homes to create the data upon which this report is based. I know that when the original data set and map was published a couple of years ago, I queried the lack of properties whose lines were being tested in rural areas. This resulted in us being sent the grand total of 5 routers to scatter around the countryside, presumably to balance it out and shut up the rural contingent. Hohum.

It would be good to see the geographic locations of the test sites to grasp whether or not this is (still) a skewed picture of UK broadband speeds by being heavily reliant on urban and short lines.

For instance, if we were to place a similar number of routers into mainly rural homes, and ran 455million performance tests, in particular from 4pm -6pm when the kids come home from school and not from 8-10pm when they should be tucked up in bed, what effect would that have on these results?

It does not take a genius to work out that the national picture would most likely be nowhere near as rosy as this report makes out. Terms such as 'surge', 'boost, and 'superfast' are somewhat misleading to say the least but no doubt the journos will make out all is well in the press over the coming days.....

There has seemingly been a 10% rise in average download speeds from 6Mbps to 6.6Mbps, which should I guess be applauded, even if the symmetry is still missing for upload. The difference between advertised and actual speeds remains alarmingly high. Especially for uninformed consumers who believe what the ads say, and have no way of knowing otherwise until an order is placed and a connection is made. Or not, as the case too frequently is.

The report appears to suffer from creative mathematics, which is never good, except perhaps for those who find that copying and pasting the report without applying even minimal logic makes for good copy. Viz

Superfast broadband services are now available to more than half of UK homes as rollout continues.

Today’s research found that superfast services offer significantly faster speeds than copper ADSL broadband

However, over 75 per cent of UK residential broadband connections are currently delivered by copper ADSL telephone lines.

Superfast >50% homes. Superfast does not equal ADSL. ADSL >75% homes. Spot the problem?!

And as for this sentence:

Download speed is the main performance measure by which broadband services are advertised and is the most important single measure in determining broadband performance.

It leaves me completely speechless. The regulator is really saying this???

At least 25% of those on ADSL are on 4Mbps or below according to this report, although one would suspect that this is a finger in the air figure as BT etc still seem to believe that the so-called commercial sensitivity of line data should come before national interest. That Final Third is supposed to be being addressed by BDUK and local authorities, but there seems to be a distinct lack of vision in doing so even with the plethora of experts this country has available to discuss the topic at the never-ending round of 'talking head' conferences. However, time will tell whether local authorities etc can turn it around and apply common sense (to bypass the hype and spin and guff they are being fed by self-interested parties) to deploy what is actually required in each region.

Meanwhile, NZ are reporting that data usage has increased by a third in the last year, and there is plenty of hard evidence from elsewhere with true next generation broadband connectivity that data usage goes through the roof when you give people quality connections of 100Mbps and above - what the rest of the world calls 'superfast'. Perhaps, Ofcom should start thinking about data caps and how, as Britain gets better broadband, the regulator is going to do something about those so users are not continuously being throttled and prevented from actually using the connectivity they have?

HS2 vs FTTH

2011-07-23T15:17:00.000+01:00

Spent an interesting couple of hours yesterday watching witnesses present evidence to the Select Committee regarding HS2 (the High Speed Rail link from London to Birmingham). Trains move people, broadband moves data – the social, economic and environmental parallels between the two types of infrastructure have long been known (and blogged about) so of course I was interested, especially with my family ties to railways. FTTH to every home in the UK and the HS2 link have capex costs in the same ball park – somewhere in the region of £14-17Bn (more on this later). So, let's debate which is the more worthy project for our ever-diminished pot of tax payer's money; although in an ideal world, you would build both. Now.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Much of the evidence presented for HS2 is of direct interest to anyone considering an infrastructure project of the size and scale and impact of Fibre To Every Home or Next Generation infastructure – a mega project - and it would be foolish to ignore it. It is also interesting to note the similarities of terms – high speed, connectivity, communication and capacity apply to both rail and telecomms, and meld these megaprojects ever closer.

My knee jerk reaction is that FTTH is a one off spend which requires little additional lifetime spend from the central or private pots to reach every home in the UK and change the lives of everyone; whereas the HS2 link will affect initially only a corridor and requires more and more spending once in place eg improving the classic rail and road networks to cope with the increased capacity. If there were to be only one megaproject this decade, spending under £20Bn, it would have to be FTTH.

However, the reality is that we need transport of freight and people as much as of data, although passenger journeys could obviously be reduced with the provision of FTTH.

A reduction in passenger journeys could affect the business plan for HS2, meaning it would require further subsidies far into the future to become profitable. Or, it could mean premium pricing on HS2 would could make it a “rich man's railway”, which would inevitably mean a failure to bring the benefits to all. The economic evidence given by the French witnesses clearly showed that pricing management is key to success, and the market share owned by both Eurostar and SNCF over the airlines, including budget airlines shows, once again, the sense in making the product affordable.

Not only does Eurostar now have 80% of the London to Paris market share, but both Eurostar and SNCF have found that the purchase decision of whether to travel by air or train has extended to 4 hour train journeys where it used to be 3hrs ten years ago. This can only mean more customers using the service.

The possibility of increased productive time for business travellers on the train was cited more than once by different witnesses, and personal time savings were a recurrent theme throughout the sessions. Time savings and productivity for individuals and businesses apply equally to FTTH economics, but are often missed out in cost benefit analysis for FTTH and next gen, yet this time saving of even a few minutes between London and Birmingham seem key to pro-HS2 arguments.

The weight this time saving is given on High Speed Networks cannot be ignored. A single stop on a HSN adds 7 mins to journey time so many of the high speed links in France, and beyond to Germany, Austria, UK, Belgium etc, have very limited stops. Why? Because it is the speed of the journey which wins passengers. Now, apply that to FTTH and next gen. Incremental increases of speed (or a few more stops on a journey) can make all the difference in people seeing the benefits and becoming customers, or not. Time savings = increased demand. The bigger the time saving, the higher the demand. So, it does not take a genius to see that 1Gbps will see more demand than a tiny leap to 24Mbps. I expect to see this aspect of time savings added more and more to telcos' marketing material over the coming months and years.

However, there are other factors with HSN (and FTTH) that can be factored in to show why the time saving purchase decision has increased 25% from 3 to 4 hours. Increased airport security, congestion on roads, price of fuel, relocation of business interests (customers and suppliers), regional regeneration, productivity on train vs airline or car etc all act to assist in deciding to travel by train. Or to use FTTH. So, no doubt we will shortly see bizarre viral videos of babies being frisked at airports to justify why you should pay for a premium broadband product.....

Value For Money has been key in Network Rail and other organisation's surveys of passengers, and it is hard not put an additional weighting on this when considering the pricing policy for broadband too. Although the Eurostar market is mature and has almost reached saturation, marketing activities and offers always see a rise in seat sales. In other words, the successful rail companies do everything they can to fill their little fat pipes (trains) to capacity, whereas we know that telcos do everything they can to limit usage with FUPs, data transfer limits etc. And I would say that people complain far more vocally when the fat pipe they are travelling on is full and they need to stand than when data bits are crushed together to reach their destination....

There was a claim that economic growth inputs such as job creation and tax generation have not been considered properly in the HS2 assessment. The same could be said for FTTH. A claim that HS2 will bring £44Bn economic benefit appears to be a finger in the air exercise, and it would be very interesting to see government give serious consideration to FTTH and HS2 economic growth inputs. It seems that KPMG have done an HS2 assessment in Liverpool but I for one would like to see a similar FTTH assessment done in a rural area, particularly one that is on the HS2 path, to show a comparison of the economic benefits of each megaproject, as well as scenario planning to show how FTTH could impact HS2.

In fact, the type of scenario planning that a private investor would carry out if HS2 were a privately funded project are noticeably absent to date. The key threats to HS2 being a success vs a disaster given appear to include FTTH. The worst case scenarios according to witnesses would include:

a slowdown or meltdown of the economy

a PR disaster such as with pricing policies (rich man's railway)

rise in interest rates or capital costs

improved communications reducing the requirement to travel.

a major increase in road capacity which is free at the point of use ie not toll roads

a depression in oil prices which would reduce the cost of motoring

The final two of the above six are unlikely. Of the remaining four, the most likely 'threat' is improved communications becoming widely available eg FTTH, with the rise in interest rates and a PR disaster due to pricing being the next most likely. The pricing problem can be easily avoided, whereas the interest rates and capital costs should have already been taken into account through scenario planning. (Hmm!) And the risks would be substantially reduced by a Build Quickly model, yet it will be 2026 before HS2 is finished. (2 years after the demand for the additional capacity is reached). One wonders how quickly A.N.Other country could deploy either high speed network......because timescales such as this feel like another example of a great British failing with infrastructure projects – timely completion and hence sticking within the budget.

The consideration of the economic impact FTTH would have on HS2 appears to be missing entirely from any business case, and hence the predicted need for future public subsidy for HS2 when it impacts passenger journeys. Railways are heavily subsidised by the UK taxpayer whilst the same cannot be said for FTTH and next gen.

In fact, this raised a very interesting point for me. Whilst broadband is often cited as the 4th utility, there is a utility already in existence which we are funding with taxpayer's money – the public transport system. Without that subsidy for that utility, this country quite clearly would grind to a halt, especially if the freight group and passenger representative's comments are anything to go by. So, actually, broadband/telecoms is probably the 5th utility. (Which I rather like considering the name of this blog!!)

It did make me wonder though why, if broadband is SO important, we are not looking far more closely at it being publicly funded and built as a national network. The witnesses were quite clear – HS2 could not be built by a private investor or company. So, why on earth are we expecting our 5th utility to be built in such a way?

The chairwoman of the Select Committee asked if the HSN in France was considered as part of the overall rail network. “It is a leg of the rail network”. We need to look at both HS2 and FTTH in the big picture and in both cases, the impact of high speed networks goes far beyond the (railway or telecom) lines.

“High speed networks are not a gimmick” The high speed network brings people closer to the big decision centres, airports, customers, suppliers and to address new markets.

SNCF were clear in their point that it falls to local authorities to reap the benefits of the high speed network by making strategic investments into business parks, employee training opportunities, better road links, car parks, regional development etc ie everything indirectly related to the provision of a high speed network in the locality. Ensuring there are sufficient business parks for companies to relocate to is vital, as is offering training in non-railway skills, and improving road links so there is no congestion.

This ripple effect that leads to the big picture applies equally if not more so for FTTH and it often seems frustratingly impossible to point out to local authorities just how many sectors broadband will touch and what the needs and opportunities will be. LAs often seem to get stuck in thinking it will bring new IT companies to an area, whilst totally ignoring the fact that every single aspect of our lives will be touched by better comms infrastructure. Health, Wealth and Learning, and all that those three categories encompass. Just as railways will impact the carbons emissions policy, so will FTTH, and so local authorities need to consider economic, social and environmental impact in their strategic thinking about FTTH and railways.

One thing that became clear as being wrong with both HS2 and FTTH is that Britain, as with many other governments, are bloody useless at the “Predict and Provide” approach. The West Coast Mainline upgrade is a single example. It took 8 very painful years to upgrade, cost £6billion of public money and untold billions of private/business money with all the problems caused, and premium prices for a sub-standard service were the norm during the upgrade (sound familiar?!). Now, within a mere 6-10 years it will be at capacity.

However, the Victorians it seems had a far better approach and many of the tunnels, sewers etc built during that time are still doing the job required. The lessons I learnt about sewer building appear to be increasingly important. We need to over-predict and over-provide for infrastructure, whilst being realistic about possible under-demand when building the business case. Just because a business case for infrastructure may seem to have a longer lifetime payback than would seem ideal ie 15-25 years rather than 3-5, the reason for using the higher spec will become obvious over the lifetime of such a project. Which may, in all reality, be after our lifetimes, just as the Ribblehead Viaduct and London sewers have proven.

This extension of lifetime value beyond our own lifetimes is a concept we currently seem to have a problem with, especially when private money is involved and those spending it want to enjoy the returns. However, when building a next generation network, whether railways or telecoms, that lifetime return is of key importance and shows why cost-cutting exercises or allowing private concerns to hold sway must be eliminated.

The parallels between railway and FTTH kept coming thick and fast. The complexity of pricing mechanisms, the creation of bottlenecks, the need for consumer choice, effect on house prices (but FTTH has a more positive impact when there is proximity to the network than HS2), failure to appreciate the big picture, lack of comprehensive business and scenario plans, need for good local connectivity, inevitability of data/passenger/freight increases, environmental benefits, complexity of pricing mechanisms, tax payer subsidies required, importance of reduced journey times for people, freight and data, need for representatives from all stakeholder groups, interventions must have business case AND funding, quality and reliability of service is essential, must use existing infrastructure, long term view of use of released capacity, need for a big step change, creation of new business markets, make sure the regulator is the right regulator etc.

Hearing that some solutions could be applied now to relieve the problems on the transport network – adding additional carriages, lengthening platforms and loops, improving traffic management to add extra paths, derestricting first class carriages etc – struck an unhappy chord. Sticking plaster solutions that will at best buy a few extra years before massive over-capacity on the network has to be accepted and dealt with. All too bloody familiar for those campaigning for better broadband.

Possibly the most important lessons were those given by Lord Berkeley.

Confidence in capital costs and interest rates could give a 20 year investor view

Build it quickly – speed is the essence

Look at the competition

Don't change your mind halfway through [as has happened with the definition of broadband. And 21CN]

Having built it, make sure a proper regulator is in place

The current estimate for HS2 is around £17bn, although this figure fails to take into account the need to spend on upgrades to everything else affected – link roads, parking provision, etc etc etc. The lifetime economic return has been variously estimated from £6bn to 44bn, although both these figures seem to be 'finger in the air' and omit many costs which will be borne by private individuals and business during the build and beyond. HS2 will also not affect many millions eg those in the North of England will not travel to Birmingham to cut a few minutes off an overall journey time to London, the South or the continent.

The cost of FTTH using the most recent figures is £14bn to EVERY HOME in the UK, half that which was given almost 10 years ago by Analysys Mason. The additional spend required eg local training opportunities and business parks will be to capitalise on the value of the network, not to resolve problems caused by it.

The lifetime costs (as compared to HS2) and the resultant value from the high speed broadband network in itself would seem to me to be justification for giving very serious consideration to FTTH as a publicly funded, national infrastructure project, just as we are doing with HS2. FTTH will bring untold billions into UK Plc and the national economy during its lifetime. It should not be left to private investors, as the expert witnesses are clear about with HS2 after the lessons of HS1. Figures which other countries have produced for GDP increases from FTTH should be added here, and no doubt will be by my good readers!

The similarities and need for both high speed networks cannot be disputed and long term planning and spend on both is essential. What we need to do now is apply the lessons learnt during evidence given for HS2 to FTTH, and JFDI the right way.

Homesick

2011-07-21T01:21:00.000+01:00

How I feel tonight ... Bit odd... But after untold meetings in the City, I think I am homesick. For action, community engagement, seemingly impossible solutions made good, n that JFDI attitude I was taught "at home"
This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

I've already tweeted I can't blog on the move. It may surprise you, or not, but I cannot afford to replace a very old and broken computer. The choice was come to London twice, or replace the eee pc. Rightly or wrongly, I came back to London to fight this corner.

If I could have blogged the last 48 hours, I suspect the interested readers would have been numbered on two paws. That seems to be the size if the rural broadband game right now. Why? Because BDUK and so-called initiatives to encourage competition have achieved the precise opposite.

Luckily, there seems to be a hard core who intervention etc has not taken out. I appear to be inordinately lucky to still be part of that enthusiastic die hard bunch who will JFDI.

But our resources are wearing thin. Even blogging this is a late night struggle in a device intended more for my twins to communicate with than for me to share where we are at right now.

This year, 2011, I have watched as company, org,academic etc made fiver to the home work. Not one of them set off to do so. But there are now multiple 5tth examples out there. Nigh on 10 years in , I am chuffed to bits.

Better still, major corporates are now playing outside of the govt boundaries, proving I think that our society approach has layers if investment and engagement potential that works for business.

What thus could do for BDUK etc .. I think that if it connects real people to future proofed sustainable community connecting networks, it can only be a great thing.

The community has already evaluated, at ni expense to the public purse, the time wasters and eliminated, locally, those wo cannot and will not, in the local vernacular, do owt, at no cost to the public purse.

(If you need naming here, you need better community engagement professionals!)

I miss home right now because no-one here can sell me a solution for the future that I do nor believe my neighbours cannot deliver far better. Thus is not a north-south, urban-rural discriminatory thing, it is FACT.

So, as various projects go live this summer, remember the homesickness when you realise that some of us have done our headless chicken impressions darn sarf on our own dish whilst knowing the truly worthwhile stuff is going on up north. Yep, I'm homesick!!

Typos? It's an iPhone.....

Cumbria Broadband Slowspots

2011-07-17T19:05:00.001+01:00

We have mapped the identified slowspots in Cumbria from data which appears to have come originally via BDUK. This map shows all those places where properties cannot receive 2Mbps or higher. We do not believe this map is complete and are asking the help of Cumbrian residents and businesses to make sure the full picture is understood, and publicly available.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

The full Cumbrian broadband slowspot map is available here.

Zoom in, and if there is no circle near to your house or business premises, or within your postcode area, and a speedtest.net test shows that you receive under 2Mbps, please complete the following form and we will add your postcode to the map.

If you know of others nearby who suffer slow broadband, please help them to add their postcode too and tell others about this map, wherever they are in Cumbria, and the press, the radio stations, blogs, twitter etc.

(Due to some discrepancies with how Google maps renders postcodes, we think some of the postcodes are slightly misplaced on some browsers. We are working on this).

<p>Loading...</p>

Should this data be available in the public domain for every county? We believe so. Then, use the people who can actually run the speedtests in their houses on their equipment (with whatever limitations that has) to pin themselves to the map to get a far truer picture of broadband in the UK. Ditto for mobile coverage.

UPDATE: BBC are announcing a similar crowdsourced exercise for national mobile coverage tomorrow. Hopefully the data will this time be made publicly available and stay on the website forever.

Moderation on comments

2011-07-16T01:57:00.000+01:00

Due to spam on older posts causing problems, there is now moderation on comments. Had to be done until the blog is ported elsewhere or Google sorts Blogger out. Please, be patient and if you want something to go thru moderation in double quick time, DM me [Lindsey] on Twitter or FB. Cheers for your tolerance.
This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

All comments (or most) are now moderated. If you have an issue with a comment that has not been published, get in touch. Cheers

I'd like to know.....

2011-07-16T00:43:00.000+01:00

If everyone in this country was connected to a min 100Mbps symmetrical pipe, or more, by 2015, and let's assume that those who like using the Net level out the usage for those who don't, what exactly would it cost and to whom? Not the actual FTTH solution but the bits that will need to be transported around the country....how much will they cost and what precisely do we need to achieve that aim?

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

We all hear how scarce they are, these bits, and we know that the core network is struggling anyway, but JANET upgraded their core network recently so we must have actual hardcore (ouch!) figures to play with.

Don't stress over how it gets to each person, just assume it does. What do we need in Telecity, Telehouse, datacentres, bitmines etc etc to achieve what Erol Ziya wrote about all those years ago - the cheapest country within which to move [unlimited - my addition] data?

Which, it seems to me at the end of a long week, is what we surely STILL need to achieve.....

But how to do it practically? The investment needs to come not in the first mile alone (like *that* is happening, ho hum), nor in the middle mile alone, nor in the core alone. It needs to be across the board.

Ergo, my tired little brain would suggest, this requires a cunning plan. A collaboration. A big picture with a road map to the endgame.

So, who out of our dear, expensive analysts has considered this? Who has the requisite data?

Because, it seems to me, that every which way we turn it all seems to be "too expensive" to do. Telcos don't want to do FTTH in the first mile and are struggling to even see the point of less suitable technologies as economic solutions to properties; backhaul is bloody expensive for communities, ISPs, etc; and longhaul seems to be a struggle too if you talk to ...well, pretty much anyone.

So, what do we need to solve the problem of transporting bits around this country in the most economical and affordable fashion possible to help bring a long-awaited end to those arguments?

Your thoughts are welcomed.....

Especially for Somerset - Google tests uber super dooper fibre

2011-07-15T01:57:00.000+01:00

Google have now installed part of their fibre network at Stanford, and the rollout continues apace.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Dear Somerset,

Perhaps you would care to ask some of those on Stanford Campus what on earth they might need such connectivity for and why on earth a company (who should know better according to your arguments) such as Google would pay for it?!

Is Cumbria JFDI Part 2?

2011-07-15T01:00:00.001+01:00

I feel I can better expand on the Broadband Industry Day last week after catching up with some thoughts of those who were there too this week.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

There appears to be a mix of emotions surrounding not just that day and who was (and wasn't) present, but also the procurement process and progress in general.

There is one question which I feel needs to be asked over and over again until we get a reasonable answer: Why has Cumbria County Council chosen the short list for suppliers when the Council does not even seem remotely clear about what it requires and is therefore procuring?

The second question which follows that is: why are IT services included in the spend of a £16.8M pot destined to solve the rural broadband issue, not CCC's infrastructure problem?

It seems the second list is now down to four (CTC have dropped out because they were actually more interested in the IT services list, or so we hear) - BT, Cable & Wireless, Commendium and Fujitsu.

This is an eclectic mix to say the least. C&W, Fujitsu and Commendium all appear to be working on a telehealth experiment in Shap together. (About which it appears Shap know little to nothing). One could wonder if there are actually only two players left in that list? In which case, as CCC are still unclear precisely what is to be delivered, how on earth are Cumbrians to believe that these may be the best suppliers for the still-to-be-defined task? Particularly as there are other suppliers who fail to meet procurement criteria in multiple counties now who could deliver in a more agile and probably cost-effective manner, who seem far more interested in working with the communities.

My slightly more positive feel about BDUK and CCC on leaving in the pouring rain on Friday does not entirely appear to be reflected by others present. And having heard their concerns, I have to admit to beginning to feel as though we are on a roller coaster which may find itself running out of track before ere long. However, there is agreement that there are definitely some hearts in the right places, and support for community broadband. But there seems to be a growing feeling that process and bureaucracy may prove the undoing of the mere mortals/human beans that should be being served by the process rather than vice versa.

The suppliers seemed to have been a variety of - 'scared stiff', 'gobstruck' at the professionalism of the community presentations, as well as eager (or not, in some cases) to work with communities, as well as keen to work with other supplier partners (or not).

There is a concern I think that there will be a power struggle to ensure that the second list do actually deliver what Cumbrian communities need, now and in the future, and do not just pay lip service to what CCC and communities are saying purely to win the bid. This is extremely likely if CCC do not clearly define exactly what needs to be delivered and understand at least approximately what that may/should cost.

PhilT put this rather succinctly the other day when commenting about technology neutral bids when he said that what we should be doing is defining the gigabit connection and then allowing the suppliers to indicate precisely how they would deliver this. Rather than giving the suppliers enough rope to hang the entire county with which is what I think many are concerned that CCC may be doing, inadvertently or otherwise.

I did feel frustrated on Friday that there still seem to be too many on very steep learning curves, very late in the day, and that there simply is not enough collaboration and sharing of knowledge going on. To assume that all the knowledge is within the suppliers' camps is a disproven theory now, and actually it could be argued that some of the information that the communities now hold is far more commercially sensitive than that of some of the suppliers. Particularly those suppliers who are only in this for the money.

I think that as we are a Big Society area and were specifically given instructions by Nat Wei in Kirkby Stephen to kick down the barriers which prevent delivery of the right solutions for this fair land called Eden, that some of those barriers may be about to receive a serious kicking to remove them once and for all. And to be honest, not a moment too soon after the Project Access debacle.

It would also seem that some of the suppliers are treating this simply as a commercial process, which is fine, but in times of tight budgets, cuts etc, one would have hoped (in my little idealistic world) that perhaps the Council would work doubly hard to ensure that the money goes as far as possible. One community has reported that a supplier took away their shopping list to 'shave a few pounds off it' and came back with something that was almost double the original costings.

Which is standard public funding behaviour (think of a number, add a zero, times by pi) but in this day and age, and for community broadband for a county such as Cumbria which has such a high proportion of experienced fibre and broadband folk - that's not going to fly, is it, eh? Or one would hope that the Council would see through such behaviour and stamp on it.

I am beginning to wonder whether I am correct in believing that a growing number of folk are disenchanted with the entire procurement process and are actually planning to JFDI without the backing of the Council. Yes, it could prove inordinately difficult, but that depends on whether the rest of Cumbria understands what is going on and backs these communities. After all, it is not too difficult to vote out those who have been elected in the future if the actions of a few determined folk prove over time that the Council went about things the wrong way.

In reality, it only needs one reasonably sized community to work together with smaller suppliers, who could not even make those short lists, to JFDI, and a spotlight could be turned onto the winners of the bid to ensure they deliver above and beyond what 'hicks in the sticks' can. However, this would mean building a world-class network and not an interim solution; but it seems that there are at least two of the pilots that are already at the required level of knowledge and planning to carry that through. I suspect there are more who are not as vocal or as public who could also be a 'threat' to the Council's procurement over the coming 2-5 years.

And this, to me, is where things may well get interesting. If the communities act together to share information, skills, knowledge, best practice, we could see some best networks built on and in Cumbrian soil that surpass anything that the winner might choose to deploy given a commercial choice. And all of us will be far more interested reading a front page of the Herald that shows people we know, in places we know, digging where they live, than passing yet another BT van at the side of the road.

£16.8M is a drop in the ocean to some of the companies on that short list, but it could still turn dirty. It's not about that funding; it's about landgrab and having customers who may stick with the supplier for 20 or more years into the future. Trouble is, oh supplier friends of ours, this is a very tight-knit community and our jungle drums are far faster than any broadband you may care to install! Dirty tricks will be exposed in less time than you can dip a sheep, and will be shared via our traditional communications routes. And Cumbrians are vocal!

At a time when Cumbrians are struggling to make ends meet, wastage of what is viewed as OUR MONEY, paid from our TV licences, is likely to be taken badly. And if CCC act properly and there are penalty clauses for failure to deliver, this could become a costly exercise. But, let's not jump that dry stone wall before we get to it, eh?

Rory said he wanted to see spades in the ground before the end of this year. Or that's what I heard, but someone else thinks he said before the end of August. That being the case, we have come up with a pilot that could potentially do just that. And to me, that is one of the joys of rural living. Throw an idea into the communal pot, toss it around a little with your neighbours who are equally as passionate about Eden, work out the kinks and details, and then JFDI before moving on to the next project our communities need that no-one else can work out how to fund or action!

Watch this space....

Joining the dots

2011-07-13T03:48:00.000+01:00

I wrote a post earlier about the social media surgery today on the CLA stand at the Great Yorkshire Show. I don't get out often (!) so it was quite interesting/eye opening talking to real people about their broadband and IT problems. (Very similar to going to the co-op actually; proving 'you don't need to travel far to see the world' - Amy Mason, interviewed by LAnnison, approx 1995 UWN)

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

It was properly, stupidly depressing to see SMEs, similar to mine, in the same boat as mine for similar reasons. NO SUPPORT. Zillions of quangos and not a single one seems to have a figurehead who gets IT. With our money. Let alone staff who are delivering what is required on the ground.

It seems to me after an inordinately long UNPAID month that has cost me everything I had for boring shit like food for July already, that the time is nigh for "doing stuff". I've been here before so I have a sort of 'cynic' button that generally kicks in to protect my kids from irrational actions, but this is one of those times where I feel (a globally trusted meter for investment!)/have felt that certain things appear to be falling into place.

However, I have to say that the vast majority of my conviction that this is the case comes from an utter despair at what I keep hearing and a belief that "this cannot go on much longer". Maybe my emotions are just mirroring the news. Maybe, just maybe, moments such as a vast media mongulcorp heading on t'butt down the cobbles towing respected institutions behind does that to you. Or maybe, just maybe, the constant failure of overpaid, smug, fat possums, forces you to think that there is a chance for you to succeed with your great ideas, innovations, inventions, products, services etc that can be achieved on a broken shoestring. Sadly, I saw little to zero of that at GYS today. I've been going there for over 30 years so it wasn't some novel experience.

Even short but intensely wet rides on a motorbike allow you to ponder (Friday) and long but lost trips out (Monday) give you a potentially very long noose to hang yourself with. Both of those trips, and several others since Friday have left me with a certain feeling.

A two sentence background - on Friday, I was told to 'get something in' by a meeting on Tuesday, ie by Monday. Never mind I have two children who sort of could do with seeing my face not my back nor hearing that cussed tapping on my ancient and truly knacked keyboard, or that perhaps my business needs attention. Oh no.

We, the people of this country, know what to do. We have, without benefit of overpaid think tanks, consultants, or year on year budgets to play with, thought through the options. For more than a decade. Mostly, we are roundly ignored. That's fine. BUT, when communities and grassroots people outshine the so-called experts BY A BLOODY MILE and are asked to present our plans to prove that the public purse could be put to far better use than an existing fat-bellied, over-populated cattery can,

and, and, AND are willing to start asap, We JFDI.

Emails which arrive saying, This should be deliverable from April 2012 under the current procurement process....if all goes to plan........ well, work this post out.

What you actually mean, oh governmental quangos is, "Allow us to run you around for at least 12 more months. And blow the pot to smithereens. By the time we get back to you there will be none of YOUR MONEY left"

No. No. NO and no. I've just spent yet another day with people who get a wage packet. I don't. I am your target audience as a rural SME without broadband who is trying to bring up her family as a single mum whilst running a business that blows the socks off most others in knowing what is coming in IT. Have you *EVER* supported me? Or have you bled me dry?

I was volunteered to be present last Friday, I spent all weekend writing a proposal (or two as it turned out, for BDUK), I spent yesterday trying to work out how to get a vehicle through an MOT with no money, and today sitting on the stand of an over-funded body's uber expensive GYS stand and having to work really hard to get a free coffee. I am now, at 3.28am trying to upload photos so my resident trolls and the press have something to play with whilst I try really bloody hard to find a paying customer tomorrow before I am expected to support a local pub by taking my kids and I to supper club (we will be washing up), after dealing with a client who I know cannot pay but I can help, and then to a meeting on Thursday eve that I probably will have no fuel for. I have none now so unless we suss ethanol production by Thursday.....

Big Society? Run in the community benefit? Contribute to your area?

How about, as I said to a handily re-named organisation about 8 years ago and have oft repeated -

"When will you stop running existing businesses into the ground?"

Destruction of Trade and Industry may have come up in the conversation....don't even ask me what BIS stands for.

Do you really think I and many, many others are continuously willing to play a game, providing untold evidence, research, ideas, joined up thinking for you all because ONE DAY you might pay us? Or that we may get a career out of it? Pah, pah, pah and double pah.

I have seen how normal everyday people like the farmer clutching at AI straws today get tret by Westminster. (And yes, that's a word here in Cumbria.)

You are about to waste untold millions of OUR money because you are

INFLEXIBLE
LOCKED IN BUREAUCRACY
LOST/CONFUSED
OUT OF TOUCH
UNASHAMEDLY & KNOWINGLY WRONG
AS IMMUTABLE AS AN OIL TANKER

Do you know what, folks? It is time to CHANGE. We don't want your bloody money, we want you to STOP WORKING AGIN US. With OUR money.

If BIG Society means anything, it means stand back, pin back your lugs, watch and listen. You lot know NOWT.

And I am seriously fed up of being driven into bankruptcy, and being unable to support my own children, or community, so you can draw your wages and spend my taxes and BBC licence fee.

Here endeth today's rant. But not my work as I have a business to run that no-one else could today or any other day.....................70 hour weeks? In my dreams.

Is Cumbria JFDI? Part 1

2011-07-09T15:56:00.000+01:00

Spent most of yesterday at Stoneybeck Inn near Penrith at a community and suppliers day organised by East Cumbria Community Broadband Forum (ECCBF) and BDUK, and MCed by Rory Stewart and Libby Bateman. I'm not sure what the other BDUK recipient areas are doing, and would welcome updates from anyone who is aware of the forward motion elsewhere, but here is a summary of yesterday in the Cumbria Community broadband world.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

It may be a recession, but many community people managed to take a day away from work to partake in this event. There were also a substantial number of supplier representatives there, whose offerings range from the whole caboodle through to component parts or services, including BT, Fujitsu, Cable and Wireless, MiniFlex, AFL, Commendium, NextGenUs, Ericsson, and included the majority of those on the procurement short list. Cumbria County Council and CLEO were also represented.

My overall impression is that these structured yet informal events not only bring out the best in people, (as do the colloquia) but also see far more forward motion than a simple talking heads do, such as the vast majority of conferences end up being. Without being party to many of the commercially sensitive discussions which were undoubtedly ongoing during the event, it seemed that the sales pitches went far beyond "this is our standard offering" because the communities have well-developed visions of precisely what their communities want. There is going to have to be a shift towards the centre ground, of compromise, and this event definitely seemed to be pushing things in the right direction by both 'sides'.

Thinking of it is as "them and us" (suppliers and communities) is however inappropriate as it is clearly obvious that what are being developed are partnerships. BDUK and the County Council have made it clear that suppliers are going to have their work cut out ensuring that whatever is delivered involves the communities to whatever level each community wishes to be involved. Whilst what is being built must be commercially sustainable, it also has to suit the communities at least as much as it suits the suppliers. Collaboration and co-operation are the watchwords here.

So, the suppliers, including BT, were "harangued" in the nicest possible way by Rory Stewart MP to contribute, talk to the communities represented, and work together towards the common goal that is next gen broadband across Cumbria using the recently announced £16.4M, the immense goodwill and passion exhibited at Rheged, Great Asby and other recent events, as well as the existing assets in Cumbria, such as CLEO (the education network).

Several communities had been chosen to give updates on their progress and outline their thinking, both to share what was being considered around the county and also to assist the suppliers in considering where and how they could assist in achieving the goals being set by the communities. Fibre GarDen, Great Asby, Eden Valley Digital, Grange and Cartmel LAP, and Northern Fells all gave presentations.

Different scenarios were defined prior to the meeting:

The quest for community backhaul solutions
Solutions for demand aggregation
Build and Benefit schemes
Community Data Books

For many, the backhaul issue is still one of the most thorny. Cost by length, firstly, means that for many rural communities the cost of even a limited feed can be exorbitant. The difference in cost between a 100Meg feed and a 1Gig feed is actually minimal, but for most communities the cost of such a feed means the business plan is unnecessarily hard to resolve. Backhaul players need to start thinking more clearly about whether they want one big customer - a community, or no customer at all.

Obvious solutions are using existing feeds in the community - NHS, public sector, schools, libraries etc, but once again we are back to a medley of red herrings - security, contract will not permit sharing, and general faffing by telcos who sometimes would seem to prefer that half the country remains disconnected rather than think out of the box and use existing capacity with a novel approach.

There are other solutions which were mentioned at more length in the networking sessions e.g. railways - Network Rail, Global Crossing, and smart grid solutions using assets of Electricity North West. The difficulties with all of these seem to be completely surmountable IF the above companies and organisations stop prevaricating and help solve the problems. Doing so would create win-win situations all round, and it is time for these bodies to get with IT and get out from behind the buffers. Network Rail should remember who paid for the fibre assets on the railway line in the first place!! Joined up thinking is not that difficult and many of the problems the larger organisations cannot see solutions to simply require a brief chat with one of the many community people who have thought through all the possible solutions to assess the best approach.

Much more to say, so am going to write this as a multi-part post. (And hope that Blogger's photo app starts working again before I finish!

CAN in a BOX

2011-07-06T03:04:00.001+01:00

Once upon a time, probably late at night, I had this idea to empty my inbox of all the questions that were beginning to inundate me, by creating a FAQ, a wiki, a road map, a hand-holding guide to community networks. I think this was about 2000. By 2001 ish, it had a name - Community Access Network in a Box. I was knocking around with artists and musicians at the time, and the round peg in a square hole seemed about right for many aspects of my life, then and now!

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

CAN in a Box has over the years struggled to see the light of day. (The most recent iteration of it has been living in a box under my desk, and is about 10-15 250 sheet pads of notepaper, handwritten and organised into chapters. Another serious quantity of it is, I think, in a garage many miles away. I hope they have used it to light the fire as seeing it again is not in my game plan).

No-one would fund it, and no-one really cares for my scribblings!

However, there are some ideas which simply refuse to go away. I am getting more than a little accustomed to not being credited for my ideas, and the outright theft of others to suit people's career, income and ego-boosting plans is irksome. But it doesn't stop the ideas waking you up at all hours - day and night - to write them down! And give me the freedom to organise an event, as I have been about broadband since before the vast majority of this country knew what it even was, and I always found an opportunity to push CAN in a BOX.

But, develop a simple term like FiWi (2004, Bethnal Green with FreeToAir Adam - notes available) and the world and his lobster thinks they thought of it in 2008/9. Or was it later they coined it? Oh, who cares? I know where it began.....they were not there.

A network for people doing community broadband (1998 - phone and email, Arwain, John etc in Cambridge, Daniel and a host of others) and a couple of years later, that becomes lost in something which I understand will be launched again in a few hours, by one of the late arrivals whose thunking I really miss having access to, as version 5.2 or wherever we are now to support community broadband. (You heard it here first. CBN v 5.2 is coming at ya! And knowing nothing, I believe this time it may have a chance.....)

But may I yawn?!

Why is it all taking so long? We are not surrounded by total morons, bureaucratic idiocies can be kicked in to touch courtesy of Big Society now (but that's not a new concept for us Brits!), and I came in after a 10 year fight, so it has now been - get this - 25 years trying to do FTTH.

Let's move the pace up, guys.

13 years after I actually finally started to make contact with people who thought like me in the UK - I'd spent 2 years drifting in an IRC world of informed geeks who didn't speak UK English, and civil servants who found me foisted onto them by heads of department and ministers who didn't have a clue about these 'fat pipes' I needed to run my rural business, it seems CAN in a Box may have found a moment in which to reach the real world. And I am sort of hoping that some of the other great ideas like the Association of Broadband Communities, which became CBN, then INCA, may now have found their time to exist in a positive and purposeful manner.

I think this is a record though. I know from experience I am an absolute minimum of 4 years' ahead of what is called 'innovation' in this country in the broadband arena, and every sector that it touches upon - rural sustainability, rural development, eco housing, small business growth, environmental issues, etc. But 13 years? Hell, I can hardly recognise my writing from that long ago!

I know it's summer, but I have barely been out doors for weeks. But the energy does get through my duvet cover cum curtain to inform me that others are bouncing off this extra light we have.

Now, folks, all you need do is direct that light down fibres to every home. Stop believing the BS, stop pandering to people in overpaid jobs who know nowt and do less, in case they upset someone with a massive pension deficit and , sorry, but really, JFDI.

There's always a way...

2011-07-05T10:56:00.000+01:00

This wee tale highlights the fact that the current approach by this government to rely on the #fail telcos to put in any level of next generation infrastructure is more than misplaced. It's likely to waste hundreds of millions of pounds and put Britain into the slow lane for years, because the telcos simply cannot get out of the box. Community networks can.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Lovely anecdote from Tim Nulty that hit my inbox last week:

One of our potential subscribers who needs the drop to be underground but doesn't want to pay the big extra cost called to say that he had buried a garden hose in the right place and could we put the drop through it?

I said I'd ask my engineers.

They said: "We can if we can get a pull-wire through it".

I told this to the subscriber--who called back an hour later to say: "I've got the pull-wire in place."

My engineers' reply: "Cool. We'll do it then. First time for everything."

It is dead simple. JFDI.

Using what to lay fibre?!

2011-07-05T10:19:00.001+01:00

And there was me thinking my idea to train ferrets to run fibre through ducts was out the box!!

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

A while ago, I discovered that Boeing had used ferrets to run cabling through their airplanes. As you know, I have been ferreting for access to fibre for all of the last decade in order to achieve my vision which is Fibre To The Home. In particular, MY home, but also to every rural home!

Now, courtesy of my friends, I learn that there are more practical ways to lay fibre using animals, and it is being done today in Vermont. A place I am regularly invited to visit to see the projects there, and of course, home of my very good friends and mentors, Tim and Leslie Nulty. Whose most recent success in rural community fibre networks you may have heard about over the last month.....

Yep, you heard it here. Get out your horses, return to the ways of the 50s and before and start ploughing!

This horse is laying fibre in Vermont. Not wishing to take work away from our local digger drivers when the rural fibre lay begins, but it is all about using the right tool for the job.

It is country show time, and there are ploughing competitions up and down the country. If you need to reduce your capex by cutting the costs of civils, I would suggest that a day out at one of these great shows might be the source of a most unexpected member of your community network team.

Google+ could kill broadband connections in (rural) UK!

2011-06-30T06:38:00.000+01:00

Got my invite to Google + last night, and have spent a happy few hours unwrapping its presents - it's just like Xmas, but this is actually fun! However.....

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

I spy a huge problem for anyone on a halfway crap broadband connection, or even the USC.

Google+, for those who don't know, is Google's next attempt at social networking like Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and more all rolled into one, and right now it seems to be gathering fans and positive feedback from the limited number of people who have been let in on the first round of invites. The invite system has had to be closed down within just a few hours because of the massive demand, but many of the people already in are the hardcore early adopters who are putting this through its paces as I write.

So, I've played on it quite extensively over the last few hours, and Google are saying that so far only a few features have been rolled out - there is obviously much more to come. The one that I can see causing immediate problems for broadband is Hangouts.

Hangouts let you invite, at present, up to 10 people into a video, audio and chat room. Like Skype on steroids really. Judging by what Matt Cutts (he of Google fame) is saying in Robert Scoble's profile, there are plans to make Hangouts way more funky yet - more people, more features etc. All of these will require bandwidth at the user's end. Not only can you do video chats, but you can also group view YouTube videos and comment on them. And that's just for starters....Wait till people are in 5 hangouts at the same time; I had 7 open at one point to see how good my multi-tasking is (!) and the connection just couldn't cope, despite my pleas!

Bear in mind, I'm looking at this for clients at the moment and not for fun, then the possible business uses are endless. And hence the likely use of bandwidth is only ever likely to increase as Hangouts are broadened and functionality is added. Chuck it into a friends and family environment and the likelihood is that this could totally hammer bandwidth on your average so-called fast broadband connection in the UK, up and down.

Just because right now it only has a Youtube button doesn't mean that within days or weeks Google won't add "share your own video", "record this group" and multiple other possibilities. This means that, as of tonight, the USC is totally insufficient for the likely places that Google's social network is going. And the general feeling right now seems to be that Hangouts are going to be the 'must have' app that sees Google+ taking off.

Whilst Wave and Buzz fell at an early hurdle, it seems Google has learned from those mistakes and there is much in Google+ which gives early indications that Google have no intention of getting "social" wrong again. It would also seem that Google are going to use Google+ to force the fibre agenda forwards, and that anyone who hasn't worked out that Google need fibre to get everyone maxxing out on Google properties...well....it's time to get IT fast!

Facebook may well push an upgrade out quite quickly on the back of this - Facebook chat has been pretty shoddy to date, showing FB up as an almost analogue property. With Skype belonging to Microsoft, and Google launching chat and video on day one in Google+, Facebook seems to be a bit of an outsider at the moment on the VOIP and video front. But Facebook has a fair amount of clout and money and has undoubtedly been working on this for some time because it is a much-needed and wanted feature for any social network.

This video conferencing feature, plus the ability to group view and share videos will start to consume bandwidth. And those who cannot chat with at least 9 of their mates/colleagues/family members will inevitably feel left out. I don't yet have any info on the bandwidth that Hangouts consumes, but having tracked down quite a few of the Google development team in the last few hours, I hope an answer will be forthcoming quite shortly...

Let's make IT simple in the Bit Society

2011-06-24T05:12:00.001+01:00

Ah, another week hearing about, and seeing first hand, how few people get IT. So, let's encourage folks to catch up.....We have all these great IT and money-saving ideas out in the Big Society so let's share them.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

1. Stop printing business cards to hand out willynilly to all and sundry. Print a few only and put a QR code on the back.

That is the QR code for this website. Right click and save to promote the site!

Next time you meet me, I'll probably be wearing the QR code with my contact details. It may be on the bottom of my boots as I seem to be spending my life on either my knees or bum at the mo ;o)

(Want to make your own QR code?
Want to read a code on a smartphone? Use Scan on iphone or zxing on android - there are multiple others).

2. Stop printing out documents. Apparently some MPs have, to date, been able to get docs printed and couriered to them. Now, they have to read them online. Good. We all should read online where possible.

(However, the paperback version of Quakebook is now available on Amazon.co.uk and you *must* buy that!)

3. Much as we want to keep the Post Office afloat, do you really need to post that form/letter/document? Could you just email it instead? I spent an happy hour persuading my Council to email me all my Council Tax info instead of posting me it multiple times. The lovely IT man set to and it turned out the system could do precisely that. Hopefully, now, the potholes may move up a notch or two on the budget priority list with the spare money this could release if applied to every householder, before I fall off the Ducati.

4. Set up a website for your Parish Council, District Council etc that does not say ring this number on an expensive phone line to request a copy of xyz document. If we can use DropBox, so can our local government. This should be used in particular for planning applications where the amount of paper relating to a complex application could have been used to produce biomass for the buildings in the development for the coming year(s).

Further suggestions from you are welcome!!

Let's make IT simple in the BIT Society.

Cart before the horse

2011-06-21T11:31:00.000+01:00

Seems to me, as I sit in a sunny Surrey garden pondering the many discussions yesterday in The Smoke, we are not doing things in the right order with broadband in this country. The government have recognised the need and found a pot of money - all well and good, but...
This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

The next step, surely, should be for each region to calculate how much money is required for the solution(s)and where any money assigned to the area will do most good in generating, as quickly as possible, the remainder of the money required?

This is how a business would work... Which product should we develop and put out to which market for maximum ROI, particularly during a recession when times are tough?

One wonders what criteria are being used to decide which region gets what considering the vast majority of the regions do not seem to have a pre-defined plan for what they will do with what they are given. Some do seem to have realised the BDUK money is for rural areas where there has already been market failure to deliver broadband 1.0; others do not seem to gave truly grasped even that basic point.

Once awarded funds, surely the very first step should be for the council to appoint a suitably knowledgeable panel to assess appropriate solutions available with said pot of gold, or have we taken to developing products blindfolded and in the dark now?

Not having more than the most vague idea of what is possible per £, the approach appears to be putting out a similarly vague procurement doc with untold extra limiting factors to see who may be interested in laying their hands on the dosh. Or who the Council is left with after excluding a substantial number of potential solution providers due to the (quite unnecessary) restrictions.

Hard evidence is available from around the world that FTTH is profitable with some networks going in to profit at the moment of switch on. However, a business-like approach appears to be lacking here. Which provider and/or solution is providing a business plan and road map showing how further areas of Market failure will be funded once the pilot area is complete? Because this is not a one off task but rather an ongoing one for each area. It is unlikely further central funds will be available; ergo each region should be deploying solutions which seek to generate the monies required for further investment.

This could be done by ensuring that any solution is set up to run as a commercially viable entity, rather than just lobbing the money at a solutions provider looking to bank all profits themselves. Councils are more accustomed to having an annual budget made available to them, rather than operating as a business needs to where next year's spend comes from the wise decisions of previous years. In this instance, and knowing what work lies ahead, the required approach would seem to be obvious for any business-minded person.

But obviously logic and common sense has gone out the window! In fact, we seem to be watching an abject failure to put Big Society into action. Us little folk who need and know this stuff plus the biz people with required acumen to create business plans are being steam rollered and ignored by the very agencies Big Society was supposed to give ears and a brain to.

Watch Northumberland

2011-06-20T01:29:00.000+01:00

If the £250k for rural broadband in Northumberland is spent on anything other than FTTH, then this country seriously needs to get its act together and rethink what on earth we are doing with the limited EU funds still available to us.
This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

The money from the EU should not be signed off by either Govt or the EU unless it is being spent upon bringing Fibre To The Home to these outlying areas with nowt, first, and then using that connectivity to reach back into market towns and areas of higher density population. This 'outside in' approach that some of us have been pushing for for years does appear to be in GreySky's thinking judging by James Saunby's response in a BT-sponsored debate.

“James said it was more important to get [broadband] into rural areas than urban areas, and that’s barking - absolutely barking!”

Mark Elliott, CEO DigitalCity (Spot one reason for misunderstanding the rural issue in the name?!)

With £250k, you should realistically be able to reach over 200 of even the most remote rural properties with FTTH, particularly as looking at the maps, there are several clusters where the build and dig costs will lower the average cost per property to below £1k if some common sense and joined up thinking is applied.

Once built, these remote and rural hubs could then be used to reach in from the market town hinterlands to bring FTTH to the more dense areas, at far lower costs than the rural areas, whilst bringing in increasing revenue streams to the community network.

However, one immediate concern would be that whilst the supplier may get IT, the procurement agency may baulk at pushing the broadband bar upwards, and settling only for the minimum definition of broadband possible. This would appear to be the case if this article about Northumberland County Council's broadband ambitions is correct.

Which makes one wonder just how serious the government are about helping Big Society to happen when we are all still suffering from ill-informed top-down decision making?

Perhaps James Saunby of Grey Sky Consulting would care to share the thinking on how the plans to further show up BT will proceed......?