New broadband campaign calls for access for all

New national broadband campaign Final Third First was launched on Thursday 4 March.

The campaign - founded by a range of broadband organisations and champions of wider community interests - will lobby the Government to provide adequate and effective broadband access for the "Final Third" of the UK which currently lacks this vital infrastructure. The campaign will focus on ensuring that all those in the Final Third will be able to access Government online services by 2012, and then facilitating the move towards next generation access.

CLA Head of Rural Business Development Dr Charles Trotman, who chaired the inaugural meeting, said:  "The Government's universal service commitment to provide broadband speeds of two megabits per second (Mbps) for all by 2012 will be hard to achieve.

"Those living in areas known as the Final Third still receive no proper access to broadband, putting them at a severe disadvantage. This campaign calls for faster action on the progress already made so that everyone can benefit from the Government's increasing array of online services."

Lloyd Felton, Director of County Broadband and founder of the rural communities self-help portal www.ruralbroadband.com said: "This will add significant weight to our efforts to connect rural communities, many of which rightly claim to be more in need of better broadband than their urban counterparts". 

Mike Kiely of www.BBBritain.co.uk said: "No political party can be serious about transforming public service delivery unless the UK's high-speed data transport infrastructure is available to all and capable of supporting key services predictably."

Aidan Paul, Chief Executive of Vtesse Networks and an active campaigner for the Final Third, said: "Our own pilot projects (see: www.vtesse.com/news.asp) are proving to us that with appropriate government attention to fibre rates and infrastructure sharing it would be possible to deliver super-fast broadband to the majority of Final Third residents and businesses.

"We welcome the additional focus that the Final Third First campaign will bring to the issue. One third of the population is a very large minority indeed and must not be ignored by policy-makers."

Christine Conder, of Wray Community Communications, a self-funded charity promoting the benefits of ICT to rural communities, said: "We fully support this campaign. Our best efforts are being undermined because the majority of villagers in Wray, Lancashire, can't get access to a decent broadband connection.

"We now represent and help well over 50 small to medium businesses and more than 500 homes and families who are struggling with dial-up within just a 12-mile radius of a city. Many are farmers and small businesses, and children who are getting detention because they can't do homework."

Guy Jarvis, founder of NextGenUs UK CIC (http://www.nextgenus.net) and CEO of FibreStream (http://www.fibrestream.co.uk), said: "I am delighted to support the Final Third First campaign and believe that by focusing on this single political issue then those millions currently most digitally disadvantaged stand to reap the benefits this vital fourth utility.

"I hope this campaign will also act as a driver for the nation as a whole to swiftly attain, and then maintain, world-class telecommunications fit for 21st century purpose."

Glenn Peacey, of Hampshire County Council, said: "Rural broadband is a key part of ensuring the long term economic and social viability of rural communities.  Access to the internet enables rural communities to compete on an equal footing with urban centres. It enables smarter working from home which reduces dormitory villages, increases spending in local shops and reduces CO₂ emissions and road congestion. 

"High speed broadband also has a significant impact on social sustainability. Not only does it enable residents to access leisure and media services which they would otherwise be excluded from or have to travel to consume, it also facilitates access to online education and learning resources."

Daniel Yates, Managing Director of Pitchup.com said: "Without adequate broadband provision, rural businesses can't market themselves and engage with customers effectively in the increasingly important online environment. With online booking rates running at more than 30 percent, smaller businesses in remote locations - including many that are vital to fostering UK tourism - are disadvantaged compared to larger companies."

Neil Blake of Ewelme Parish Council, Oxfordshire, said: "Public sector websites now take good access for granted.  They should revert to dial-up for a month and watch their children flounder in with coursework, their businesses stagger, and their tax, social services and DVLA transactions revert to Royal Mail. That is the issue not 50 miles from Westminster. E-government is a good policy but its deployment is socially flawed."