Help us to achieve super-fast Broadband in the East Riding

The Government has announced that it wants the UK to have the best broadband network in Europe by 2015, which means the East Riding of Yorkshire could see super-fast Broadband rolled out to many places where the existing service is slow and unreliable.... But to achieve this we need your help.

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) has the opportunity to bid for Government funding to secure a better service but needs evidence to show how current broadband is working for both businesses and individuals. A project has been established led by the Council to develop a Local Broadband Plan, detailing how investment in the broadband infrastructure will benefit the area and where that investment should be prioritised. The plan is expected to seek approval from the Councils Cabinet late in the summer.

To assist the development of the Local Broadband Plan, the Council has developed a dedicated web site to enable residents and the business sector to register their interest in getting a better broadband service. As well as seeking opinion how an improved service will benefit them the site allows current users to carry out a broadband speed test on their own connection and this will identify to the Council where internet 'slow spots' exist across East Riding to focus any investment as accurately as possible.
The site will be available between February and October 2012 and can be found at http://broadband.eastriding.gov.uk/

I would ask all East Riding readers to offer support for this project which has the potential to have a significant impact on the growth of our local economy and ensure all residents have the best possible access to internet services. To register your interest will ensure the Local Broadband Plan reflects the broadband provision across the East Riding area as accurately as possible.

Campaign For Faster Broadband Speeds in Howdenshire Villages

Continuing on the campaign for faster broadband speeds in Howdenshire Villages, particularly Holme on Spalding Moor, Newport and Bubwith, the Conservatives have unveiled plans to help make the UK the first major European country that has superfast broadband in the majority of homes by 2017.

Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport said "we are currently one of the slowest countries in the developed world for broadband", but with the Conservatives "we'll become one of the fastest".

Most importantly, Mr. Hunt said that under these plans "high speeds will be available not just in our cities but across the rural areas that have been left behind for too long".

Commenting on the plans Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs Jim Paice MP said:
“Our proposals to deliver superfast broadband will benefit town and country, leaving no rural community behind. We will use any underspend from the digital switchover fund to establish a universal broadband network of 2 Mbps by 2012.

This approach could be continued post 2012 if our plans to force BT to open their infrastructure to other operators have not started delivering high speed broadband to even the most windswept reaches of the country.

Farmers are increasingly expected to deal with the Government online so it is incumbent on Ministers to enable them to do this with high speed broadband connections.”

Broadband difficulties in Howdenshire Villages

On a number of occasions I have been approached regarding the broadband speeds in and around Howdenshire Villages, particularly Bubwith, Newport and Home On Spalding Moor (HOSM). There are instances where broadband speeds and mobile phone signal strength are so low it makes both working from home or running a business that requires a high speed internet connection almost impossible.

Broadband is no longer considered a luxury - it has become an essential service delivering commercial, economic and social benefits. It may be a determining factor for an employee who wishes to work from home or an individual or company looking to set up or expand a business in the area. It may be students wanting to use the internet to help with their coursework, or people who simply want to communicate more easily with others through social networking sites such as facebook.

One resident, a consultant working as part of a London based team in the agricultural and food industry, has particular problems and is probably the worst case in the area (unless someone knows differently). The situation was barely adequate before the early part of the year when the BT cable was accidentally cut necessitating a repair, and since then achieving a landline broadband connection has been almost impossible. His situation is compounded by poor mobile phone coverage so mobile broadband is difficult too. To carry out the large part of his work requiring a broadband connection now means visiting someone else’s house.

Although broadband now covers 99% of the country, the Government acknowledge that speeds are variable and service is weak or non-existent in some areas. Generally in Newport, Bubwith and HOSM speeds are slower than in other similar communities, and the speeds differ with the distance from the exchange, so those living at the edges of the villages suffer more, as shown in the case of the resident above. You might be interested in taking a look at http://resources.zdnet.co.uk/speedtest/ which will provide home users an instant free test of their actual broadband speed.

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council recognises the rural economy’s increasing dependence on technology such as broadband availability and has written to the Government Minister urging the Government to fulfil its promise of making internet connectivity available to all.

Rural Broadband accessibility was looked into by the Council’s Greater Prosperity Overview and Scrutiny Committee this last week and will look further into the problem during the coming year, if anyone would like to provide any evidence or information to this committee please let me know.