Rural Broadband

Can't get Online Week 30 October to 4 November 2011

The CLA will be marking national Get Online Week from 30 October to 4 November by sponsoring a special Can’t Get Online Week tour of rural England.

IT and social media expert, John Popham, will visit rural communities around the country to highlight the difficulties they face getting online. The tour will help rural residents connect to the internet and use social media even if they have previously come up against seemingly impossible barriers of connectivity, technology or attitude.

The CLA is lobbying to ensure that every rural business and household can access a broadband connection of at least five megabits per second. Sign our e-petition. 


 

OUR POLICY POSITION

Building on Past Success

The CLA began lobbying for broadband to be available in all rural areas in 2002. As a result, BT took action. By 2005 most of Britain had access to fixed-line broadband. Those left without it, however, are in the countryside. This is the deficit we are now campaigning to correct.

Why it is urgent

Broadband is as essential to businesses as water, gas and electricity. Without it they are not competitive.

Around 18 - 20 percent of rural areas cannot get broadband.  They are in "not-spots" - areas where broadband is not available. We estimate that around 100,000 businesses, with a total turnover of up to £60bn, are being held back.

It is unjust that rural businesses should be at a disadvantage. It is made worse by Government efforts to move forms of administration, such as tax and the Single Farm Payment, online.

A lack of broadband means economic recovery in the countryside is being held back. It means the whole rural community, from pensioners to school pupils, is at a significant disadvantage.

We want a stop to "not-spots".

Remote areas are denied the very tool which could transform their lives. But the problem is not confined to them. Even rural districts of England's "Silicon Valley" area, near Reading, and some places close to the M25 have problems.

This urban-rural "digital divide" is getting wider as companies providing broadband focus on urban areas because they are profitable. Urgent action is needed to get rid of the gap.

Objective

The CLA's objective has always been to ensure that all rural areas have access to an affordable and effective broadband connection. By effective, we mean a symmetric connection of at least 2Mb/ps, thus meeting the Government's universal service commitment. But we also realise that 2Mb/ps should only be the minimum limit and that the Government should push for at least a 5Mb/ps symmetric speed.

The CLA recognises the advancements that have been made in seeking to build an effective broadband network in the UK. Certainly, there has been a culture change in the way broadband is both used and seen to the extent that it should be regarded as the fourth utility.

Superfast Broadband

However, despite such progress, there is still some 15 to 20 percent of those in rural areas who cannot access an acceptable broadband connection. This increases to over 30 percent who are unable to access speeds that would be called superfast broadband.

It is crucial that the funds allocated by Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) to local authorities are transparent and their use equitable. What is necessary is the ability of local communities are able to build their own broadband networks using all available technologies - in effect, a patchwork quilt pattern.

Wayleaves

The CLA also recognises that there is a potential problem with wayleaves concerning infrastructure build of new broadband networks. We are aware of the problem and are involved with others to find a suitable and sustainable remedy.

Piggy backing onto the public sector broadband network

It seems surprising that private enterprise is still unable to 'piggy back' onto the public sector broadband network. We are not suggesting that rural businesses and communities should compete with the public sector for bandwidth but rather that provision should be made to allow businesses to utilise unused bandwidth from the public sector. We also do not believe that this should be free but available at market rates.

Mobile Broadband

There continues to be a real problem with mobile broadband. The provision of 3G is lamentable and completely unsustainable for rural areas. Quite simply, there is insufficient infrastructure in place to make 3G work.  In addition, it remains questionable that the speeds on offer (up to a maximum of 7.2Mb/ps download) are truly of any use. Indeed, mobile broadband is compounded by the fact that voice calls take precedence over data transfer within a mobile network, with the effect of slowing down considerably broadband speeds.

However, the intended introduction of 4G by 2012 opens a completely new scenario for rural areas. Speeds using 4G are significantly faster than 3G and the growth in the mobile phone market, particularly with I-Phones, suggest that there will be considerable demand in rural areas. What is vital is to ensure that the new 4G network provides an effective and affordable broadband provision.

Nevertheless, the CLA believes that there has to be total transparency in the auction process that will be held by Ofcom. It is vital that the auction allows for clear competition between bidders in order to safeguard the interests of consumers. We believe that through such competition, prices will remain attractive and increase demand,

HELP YOURSELF TO BROADBAND

Final Third First,  to make sure that fibre optic goes to every home in the UK. The CLA's broadband campaign to bring fast access to the internet to all rural users is a key priority.

The CLA supports the Rural Broadband Partnership,  which helps communities and business to build propositions from the ground up - putting local need first, not last. Find the resources here to get superfast broadband to your door.

GRANTS FOR BROADBAND IN THE SOUTH EAST

Grants are available for the provision of broadband in some rural areas - check them out on our regional news page

Broadband news archive.

Details about the CLA rural broadband service can be found in the Member Services area of this website.