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Connecting Cumbria - Superfast Broadband
Information about progress on the roll-out of the Cumbria broadband initiative can be found here.
To download the latest (and past) newsletters, click below.
Connecting Cumbria – Information Pack for Hub Coordinators |
Key Messages |
Connecting Cumbria will:
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New Facts |
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Risks
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Likely Questions From residents/ communities |
Answers |
What’s the vision?
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The ambition is to deliver Superfast Broadband for everyone in Cumbria – every resident, business, public sector organisation and visitor to the county. Some of this through public funding and the rest by encouraging existing providers to extend their commercial service. |
Why… Are we doing this?
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To make sure that the citizens of Cumbria have the same opportunities for business, home and education as the rest of the country with regard to access to access to the internet through superfast broadband.
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What is Connecting Cumbria Project |
In areas where the commercial providers can’t see a business case for investment, Connecting Cumbria will use public funds. This tends to be the more remote and rural areas; which is why the funding often comes with restrictions on which parts of the county it can be used.
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How much will it cost?
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To deliver Superfast broadband to the whole of Cumbria has been estimated at over £200m. The total public investment in the Connecting Cumbria project will be £40m.
We have already secured a grant from BDUK for £17.1m
We have applied for funding from ERDF for £15.4m and we expect approval in March/April
We also have £6.9m allocated from a pot of money that the county’s public sector bodies were awarded called the performance reward grant (PRG) |
Who is involved in the Connecting Cumbria Project? |
Cumbria ’s success in relation to Superfast Broadband is dependent on strong and ambitious leadership across all its communities, and in both the private and public sectors. Those involved include the Chamber of Commerce, CALC, Cumbria NHS, Cumbria Tourism, Cumbria Constabulary, Lake District National Park Authority, District Councils, Primary Heads Association, Secondary Heads Association and Hub Coordinators. Improved broadband across the county will only be delivered as a result of working together across sectors – public, private, and community and voluntary - and, most importantly, with communities across the county. Cumbria County Council will provide support and co-ordination to facilitate collective delivery. |
Isn’t BT already planning to roll out broadband? |
Yes, BT has plans for rolling out broadband in some parts of Carlisle, Penrith, Dalton in Furness and Wigton. However they have not released their plans for which parts of these urban areas will be covered. We do not expect to see this information until later in the year. This partial coverage is totally at their expense. We feel their investment is as a result of raising Cumbria’s profile through Connecting Cumbria. However BT have no plans to deliver broadband in the rural areas and we still need to deliver the Connecting Cumbria project to allow us to deliver broadband to the whole of county starting with those rural areas that are hardest to reach. As previously stated the roll out plan has not been agreed and therefore at this time we cannot give members detailed information. The roll out plan will be agreed once the preferred bidder is known hopefully in May. |
Who will make the decision about the provider and the roll out plan? |
The council’s Cabinet will make the final decision. |
Who makes the day to day decisions on the project? |
Commercial companies make their own decision on where they invest. The county Council, Chamber of Commerce and Employment associations lobby the providers to ensure they provide the best service for Cumbria and meet our needs.
With regard to the public funding the County Council makes the decision through its Council. Stakeholders on the Connecting Cumbria Partnership Board are drawn from Parish Councils, Hub Coordinators (who work with local communities), LDNPA, County and District Councils, Schools, the Health sector and Police.
The Connecting Cumbria Partnership Board meet approx every 6 weeks. |
I’ve heard people talking about state aid, what is it?
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This only relates to work that involves public money. The European commission make sure that public money is only spent where the private sector will not invest. The County Council has sought approval from the European Commission and prove that our Connecting Cumbria project does not break the rules.
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When can I expect to get superfast Broadband? |
If you are in one of the areas BT has already identified for broadband investment, then they will identify plans and can be contacted through Openreach. Areas covered by the Connecting Cumbria project will be identified in a separate roll out plan that will be agreed once the preferred bidder is known and work is completed together to clarify the approach to roll-out. |
What technologies are you using? |
The aim of the project is measured on bandwidth availability rather than technologies, how many megabits you can access. The choice of technology is initially the choice of the supplier of the service. Where public money is being invested, we will ensure that the technology is the best we can afford and provides the most future proof solution. This does not always mean optical fibre because the balance always has to be made with the amount of money we have available to us and our desire to provide as wide a coverage as possible. |
What are build and benefit schemes? |
Our vision is that everyone in Cumbria, either through the procurement project or through the commercial sector, gets superfast broadband. Despite being one of the largest public investments in the country we still will not be able to achieve that vision through a supplier when it comes to our deeply rural areas. The cost of the project can be offset in some cases by the community themselves getting involved. This could be through digging trenches, approving access to land or other ways to reduce the cost fo getting the service into the community. These are known as build and benefit schemes. |
People talk about Village pumps and community hubs. What are these and why are we using them? |
In areas where build and benefit may not be an option then some communities have even proposed running their own broadband service. We appreciate that is quite a responsibility and is a last resort but in these cases we will provide a point of connection where the community can continue the work further into their community. We call this a hub but it has the common name of village pump as the analogy is obvious. |
What happens if we get offered a service from an outside provider in the meantime? Are we better waiting for the CC solution or should we go with the private provider now, and not wait?
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The project is about bringing superfast broadband to Cumbria. The European commission governs the way we can spend public money and we must not undermine a private business. So if you feel that the service being offered meets your needs and is cost effective then we would not advise you to wait.
If the service does not provide what the Connecting Cumbria project aims to achieve then we may choose to use public money to improve that situation.
If we are offering a service in your area and you feel that it is better and more cost effective then there is nothing stopping you, subject to your contract, changing your service.
Once work on roll-out has been completed with the new contractor, we will be able to clarify the plans for delivering the Connecting Cumbria project. Until then we cannot give any assurance about when a particular community will benefit from our project.
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As part of the connecting Cumbria broadband project what speed are we likely to get?
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There are a lot of factors to take into account when we look at what ‘speed’ this project will deliver.
It depends on who wins the procurement, what technologies they deploy and where the property is.
The bids from potential providers will be evaluated and scored on the amount of Superfast Broadband coverage that is achieved for the County, as well as the speed they can deliver.
Obviously, it is a requirement that we provide the minimum broadband speed for the whole county (2mb/s) which will be a major improvement for a lot of Cumbria in its own right.
However we anticipate a large part of the county will be able to access speeds in excess of the 30mb/s which is officially recognised by Europe as ‘Superfast’.
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Will it enable me to send a range of information like my medical information or agricultural records if I am a farmer
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If you are talking about normal text files then yes and that also goes for completing all sorts of on-line forms.
Large graphic files such as X-rays etc. are more of a challenge at the lower speeds but hopefully this will also be possible in the future.
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I’ve heard you will be using CLEO ( Cumbria and Lancashire Electronic Network) or another similar system
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CLEO is a badge for a group of cables and wires that we currently use to provide connections to schools in Cumbria. It is possible that we will use some of our existing infrastructure, like CLEO, if it’s suitable. But we need to deliver the best broadband service possible and ensure that we maintain the current service to existing CLEO users.
If we use CLEO it will be because it supports us providing the best service possible and that it helps us reduce the cost of the service to existing users. |
Does it matter to me whether BT or Fujitsu wins the contract? |
No, as far as the end user is concerned it is about the service they receive. The choice will come down to which one offers the best solution for Cumbria. As far as the person receiving the service is concerned, it makes no difference.
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Which areas are likely to get broadband first?
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As we have already said, BT have announced plans for delivering broadband in some parts of Carlisle, Penrith, Dalton in Furness and Wigton. However they have not released their plans for which parts of these urban areas will be covered or when. We do not expect to see this information until later in the year. However, as said before, BT have no plans to deliver broadband in the rural areas and we still need to deliver the Connecting Cumbria project to allow us to deliver broadband to the whole of county starting with those rural areas that are hardest to reach.
The order in which areas are done has an impact on the final pricing model and at the moment the final running order has not been agreed as the roll-out plan is under development and will be taken forward with the contractor once they are in place. |
Will urban areas get priority?
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Urban areas are covered by the normal commercial market which may be BT or one of the other suppliers providing services in Cumbria. Urban areas will not qualify for public funding. However in the broader strategy for Cumbria we are interested in what the successful bidder will do in these areas and expect that part of the ‘added value’ of this project that it will encourage the successful bidder to start to work in our urban areas as well. |
Likely Questions from businesses |
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If I have a business which needs superfast broadband i.e. over 100 megs will the Connecting Cumbria solution deliver this or will I have to get something else? |
At the moment the project can’t promise to deliver 100m/bs but obviously we hope that this project will ensure that this can be delivered in some parts of the county. Obviously some commercial businesses have already started to roll this out and this is available to buy for anyone who gets it in their area at normal commercial rates.
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Are we going to deliver service specifically to businesses |
In areas where the commercial market does not reach we have sought funding from Europe aimed specifically at the Small to Medium size Enterprise Market (SME’s) If your business employs less than 250 people and in an area that meets the criteria we anticipate that you will benefit from the project both in terms of access to broadband and support to help your business make the most of it.
To find out what the criteria is go to the ERDF website: http://www.communities.gov.uk/regeneration/regenerationfunding/europeanregionaldevelopment/ |
Where do I get more info?
There are a range of FAQ’s available on line at www.connectingcumbria.org – these are updated on a regular basis by the Connecting Cumbria project team.
A regular newsletter is produced and published on line at www.connectingcumbria.org
The Connecting Cumbria Strategy Document ‘Connecting Cumbria through superfast broadband’ can be found on the website at www.connectingcumbria.org There is also a regular twitter feed from the Connecting Cumbria Partnership Board and if you register you will receive regular updates – follow us on Twitter @Connect_CumbriaIf you have any queries with regard to the project, please contact the project office at info@connectingcumbria.org.uk / 01228 221737. |
CONNECTING CUMBRIA PARTNERSHIP BOARD |
For information only |
Meeting date: 28 February 2012 |
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From: Connecting Cumbria Project Manager |
Superfast Cornwall - Lessons Learned
- Background
- On 31 October 2011, the Connecting Cumbria Project Team made a visit to Cornwall in order to seek advice and adopt a ‘lessons learned’ approach from the Superfast Cornwall (SFC) project team who are currently embarking on roll-out phase as part of their project to roll out superfast broadband across Cornwall.
- This report documents the findings of this visit, presented to the Connecting Cumbria Partnership Board as an information report.
- Background
2.1 Funded by the EU, BT and Cornwall Council, and managed by Cornwall Development Company, Superfast Cornwall is building a brand new superfast broadband network.
2.2 SFC have completed their procurement for a service provider for the roll out of superfast broadband across Cornwall. Their selected supplier is BT.
- Procurement
3.1 Superfast Cornwall’s timeline is detailed below:
- November 2008 – PID finalised
- December 2008 – Open Day held
- March 2009 – OJEU placed
- 5 bidders proceeded from PQQ stage
- Initial Outline treated as review only
- bidders proceeded at full outline stage
- Project team worked up ITSFB that would suit all bidders.
- End-August 2009 – ITSFB
- October 2009 – final ITSBF submissions received
- November 2009 – preferred bidder identified
- January 2010 – July 2010 – time taken to seek major projects clearance (final offer stage needed before can meet major projects process)
- May 2010 – State Aid approval achieved based on new guidelines.
- September 2010 – Contract signed
3.2 SFC noted that the clarification process was timelier than first envisaged and experienced a similar experience to that of CCC with the recent delay to the procurement process as a result of uncertainty surrounding funding options and the terms attached to such.
3.3 The delay in SFC receipt of state aid notification and change in guidelines for major project clearance prolonged the original timeline. SFC suggests CCC seek clarity regarding whether the Connecting Cumbria project is categorised as a major project as soon as possible. CCC are currently progressing with this through dialogue at a national level.
3.3 SCF suggests ITFT evaluation should cover coverage, end user pricing and wholesale pricing. This approach has been adopted by CCC in setting their evaluation criteria.
3.4 When it comes to contract award, SFC suggests CCC should introduce a penalty clause as a ‘fail to meet’ precaution with the bidder to repay subsidy in a result of breech of contract. This is something which the CCC legal team will consider.
3.5 SFC also suggests that the contract documentation should not be based around use of technologies. This will be considered as part of contract development.
- Communications / Marketing
4.1 SFC made a number of suggestions with regards to communication of the improved broadband service across the county. Some of these suggestions are noted below:
- Introductory Film – CCC have this available on their website.
- Roll-Out Film - CCC Communications Team are currently finalising a version of this for Cumbria which will be uploaded to the website.
- Build / continuously develop / update FAQ page on website – CCC continue to do this and will use the FAQ page, actively diverting correspondence in this direction.
- Create a strong communications message around the enormity of the project. CCC are looking at this in terms of the management of expectations at roll-out phase.
- SFC suggests emphasis should be placed on this being a project for everyone, but also to highlight that the results of the project will not mean a blanket even coverage for all. – CCC has adopted this approach.
4.12 SFC suggests a joint branding / marketing team and shared office space to minimise risk being to one partner. This is something which will be addressed during detailed dialogue with bidders.
5.3 SFC Marketing Strategy noted as:
Step 1) Promoting awareness when available
Step 2) Promote benefits to support take up
5.4 SFC note letter drop exercises as the most effective marketing route used to date. Other marketing methods are noted below:
- Leaflets
- Local village newsletters
- Parish Council Notice Boards
- Parish Council Meetings
- Parish Councillors – for educating end-users of roll out
- Individually tailored letters
- Inclusion of targeted local case studies
- School Newsletters
- Drop in Sessions at village halls
- Mobile Adverts (signs parked on roadsides)
- All content to be duplicated to website
- YouTube
- Branding on vans
- Banners on lamp posts
- ‘How did you find us’ monitoring mechanism on website
- Local press
- Radio
5.7 The expectation by SFC is that marketing campaigns will vamp up once the project coverage becomes more widespread.
5.8 SFC noted the need for m arketing to be very much targeted.
6 Project Team
6.1 SFC suggests a joint project team based at a single venue to be of huge benefit to the success of the project. This will be considered during detailed dialogue with bidders.
6.2 SFC note the following Project Workstreams – helping to deliver the full benefits of the investment:
- Demand Stimulation – driving high take-up, long term sustainability and delivering economic and social returns
- Business Support Programme – business transition and innovation, new products and applications, inventing the future.
- Research, Innovation and Evaluation – University and Industry Research, Cornwall as a test bed, Socio-economic Impacts, Culture and Innovation.
- Digital Skills – management of digital skills agenda.
- Environmental Sustainability – maximising the benefit, minimising the input.
- Digital Inclusion – BT’s CSR, Citizens Online and Local Volunteers will drive visitors for all, Equality and Diversity.
6.3 Superfast Broadband Delivery Team
SFC suggest a team should be established post identification of preferred bidder, SFC in-house team is noted below:
- Project Director
- Programme Manager – works closely with preferred bidder counterpart
- Marketing Manager (plus 3 support officers)
- Research and Evaluation Manager
- Skills Manager
- 2 x Project Support
- 1 x Administrator
6.4 In support of the SFC project, BT have established a core team of 8-10 staff with the majority of posts mirroring those of the in-house team noted above.
7 Funding
7.1 SFC suggested CCC take immediate action to check the rules for ERDF spend. CCC are working on this at present through dialogue with CLG. Terms and Conditions attached to ERDF funding are currently outstanding.
7.3 SFC suggests the project team be heavily involved in the creation of the ERDF bid as some sections can be of a technical nature. CCC Project Team is involved in the progression of the ERDF bid.
7.4 SFC suggests CCC take immediate action to establish the position with regard to reinvestment of any claw-back i.e. recycling of funding. It is anticipated details of such will be included in the terms and conditions associated with the various funding streams.
7.5 SFC advises CCC to gain a full expenditure from the preferred supplier prior to awarding them funding. This will be addressed during detailed dialogue with bidders.
7.6 SFC suggests inward investment is to be used as a selling point in terms of growth in economy and advantages of such to the county.
8 Roll Out
8.1 SFC gave a strong message that Cumbria should keep a handle on the roll-out phase and not leave the planning of such to the investor. They suggest every decision should be jointly made. A governance model will be considered as part of detailed dialogue with bidders.
8.2 SFC suggests CCC p romote inward investment in Cumbria – emphasising the line of ‘come and live in a nice area of the UK, and have the ability to run your business from here’. The Communications Team note this comment.
8.3 SFC emphasised the need for caution with the marketing method deployed as not necessarily every household in each parish would receive a service / improved service at the same time. Marketing should be very much targeted.
8.4 Suggestion made that roll-out plan should provide visibility at a high level covering a 3-4 year period. Detailed plans should be monitored weekly and cover a 3-6 month forward look period. Governance of such will be considered as part of the detailed dialogue with bidders.
8.5 Alternative technologies are viewed by SFC as the best option for the ‘last mile’ or ‘hard to reach’ areas. CCC have adopted this phrase and will work through options for such as part of detailed dialogue with bidders.
9 Evaluation
9.1 SFC suggest e valuation should be made against the following:
- Economic Impact
- Environmental Impact
- Social Impact
- Monitoring for the Evaluation Plan
9.3 SFC suggests Equality and Diversity impact should be measured also. CCC have carried out an equality impact assessment of the project which will be revisited at a later stage once roll out of the project is underway.
9.4 SFC suggest environmental impacts should be measured during implementation phase and in-use phase for example by measuring reduction in travel, energy use, carbon impact and smarter use of buildings, sourcing of materials, reduction of waste, increase of recycling, impact on habitat / heritage, biodiversity and culture of overall carbon impact. CCC note this.
9.5 SFC suggest to ensure strategic added value, reports should be produced against a baseline review, with a mid-point impact process review and final impact process review as an external gateway review of the project. They suggest interim reports on an annual or more frequent if required basis should be carried out internally. This will be addressed as part of the governance / reporting mechanism at preferred bidder stage.
9.7 SFC suggest setting targets such as ‘x’ number of businesses connected, set out how improvements have been made as a result of the service, number of jobs created etc. CCC will consider this as part of detailed dialogue with bidders.
9.8 SFC suggests the following should be monitored – inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, results, impacts, spend against investment, installation results and impact of communication.
10 Concerns / Challenges
10.1 SFC noted their biggest challenge to date as being the expectation that current ‘non spots’ will receive a priority service.
10.3 SFC noted the colour of the boxes used at roll-out has been contentions – i.e. to blend in with the countryside etc.
10.4 SFC noted a concern for any bidder having the need to borrow money to run the project. Concern based on state of current economic climate.
10.5 SFC noted their experience of difficulties in encouraging end-user sign up. For example current Sky customers are tied into contracts etc.
10.6 SFC noted that focus on price is not ideal, focus should be around the end produce and ensuring appropriate funding is in place to meet requirements.
REPORT AUTHOR
Contact: Alan Cook
Connecting Cumbria Project Manager
alan.cook@cumbria.gov.uk
01228 221002