Agenda item

The Committee will receive an overview of the current activity related to Broadband connectivity and details of the Government’s new programme to deliver gigabit capable broadband speeds.

Contributors:

Cllr Martin Tett, Leader of the Council

Lisa Michelson, Service Director – Economic Growth and Regeneration

The Chairman welcomed Cllr Martin Tett, Leader of the Council and Lisa Michelson, Strategic Director – Economic Growth and Regeneration to the meeting.  The Leader provided an overview of the history of broadband development in Buckinghamshire since he became leader of the previous County Council in 2011 and the various government initiatives that had been introduced and then explained the current projects that were underway to improve broadband coverage.  The following main points were noted:

• The Leader had always seen digital infrastructure as a priority and felt broadband and superfast broadband was an essential utility.  He had lobbied for more action on increasing broadband coverage nationally and alongside the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) had helped to negotiate the first Connected Counties contract with Hertfordshire and BDUK.  Three of the four legacy District Councils in Buckinghamshire participated in the second Connected Counties contract with Hertfordshire and BDUK.
• The Connected Counties contracts included a gainshare and monies realised from that would be reinvested in new Broadband schemes going forward.  Connected Counties contract 2 in April 2015 also had a gainshare element although it was not quite as generous. Whilst these contracts have helped to achieve 97% coverage in terms of premises across the county, the current demands of zoom calls and streaming films means this infrastructure can sometimes struggle.
• A new initiative funded by Defra is the Rural Business Broadband Programme.  This aims to support rural businesses to improve their broadband connections from below superfast connectivity (less than 30mb per second) to gigabit (more than 1000mb per second). The Council has a £1.8m contract with BT Openreach which is focussing on ‘white areas’, where there are no commercial delivery plans from suppliers.
• Covid had led to some delays in delivering the contract but it would connect 620 premises by June 2022.
• In addition, Government has opened a Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme for residents in rural areas, offering £1500 for residents and up to £3500 for rural businesses to gain gigabit capable broadband, via fibre to the premises. The Council was offering top up funding up to £2000 for residents and up to £3500 for businesses and was encouraging individuals to pool their vouchers and contract in groups. This local top up was making a significant difference in negotiating with commercial suppliers.
• To date 1767 vouchers had been requested with 500 premises connected out of a target of 2000.  This had been funded by over £3.3m from Government and topped up by almost £1m from the Council.
• Project Gigabit is the Government’s major drive to support increased coverage for gigabit broadband. Commercial providers had been asked to identify geographical they can supply gigabit capability and then the Government will step in to support the remaining ‘white areas’. This was being driven by Government centrally although local authorities were being asked to provide a local steer. Buckinghamshire is in Lot 26 and an open market review has commenced. BDUK propose to start procurement for this area in Summer 22 and to commence the contract in Spring 2023 in Bucks, Herts and parts of Berkshire. 
• Once the open market review has been completed and information published, the Council will have a clearer picture of contract coverage and where any ‘white areas’ may remain and be able to advise residents and businesses about plans to improve connectivity in their local areas.
• Finally, over the next 3 years, up to £110m of government funding UK wide will be invested into connecting rural buildings with no existing or planned superfast broadband such as schools, GP surgeries, libraries through Project Gigahub, in a hub and spoke network.
• The Government are looking for projects with a minimum of 100 sites, therefore the Council was in discussions with neighbouring authorities, Oxfordshire and Hertfordshire to identify potential sites to enable a joint project. 
• The Leader noted that as part of the discussions at the HS2 Bill Committee in Parliament he received an assurance that HS2 would lay fibre along the track as this would provide low-cost interconnectivity for providers along the route.  There was concern that HS2 might renege on this. A similar approach was being taken by East West Rail which would support local connectivity in the north of the county.
• The Council by itself could not afford to provide digital infrastructure to the most remote rural properties as this was prohibitively expensive, but the Council was committed to supporting residents in taking advantage of the various programmes already outlined.

The Chairman thanked the Leader for this summary and invited questions. In response to members’ questions and during subsequent discussions, the following main points were noted:

• The Council and Leader shared digital infrastructure successes on social media, such as the opening of new exchange areas, however this did have limited reach. As Project Gigabit developed, it would be important to publicise work that the Council was carrying out.
• There was good engagement with Buckinghamshire MPs and a working relationship was being sought with the new Digital Minister, Chris Philp.
• Regular meetings took place with Open Reach regarding contract targets. The Gainshare arrangement had been positive and showed other providers that there was potential high take up in Buckinghamshire. The Gainshare was split roughly 50/50 with the Buckinghamshire LEP.
• Amounts allocated as part of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme would vary on a case-by-case basis up to £3,500. The extent these funds would go would depend on the connectivity being delivered in the rural area.
• Commercial viability played a significant role in the work of providers and there was little the Council could do to influence this. It was currently not known whether some reported ‘sterile’ broadband areas in the county would be assisted by Project Gigabit.
• Caution would need to be exercised by any Parish Council looking to partner with a provider to deliver a broadband service. This would be a very complex task and was best left to commercial providers.
• Once a voucher was issued, the impetus was on the user to spend it with the provider. Vouchers could be pooled together amongst the local community and the Council could consider bridging any funding gaps based on what a project sought to achieve. Local Members had a key role to play in coordinating projects within their Wards and communities.
• It was acknowledged the council’s website regarding schemes could be improved for clarity and to demonstrate successful community projects. The Council had to be careful not to advertise specific providers.
• The Connected Counties programme had delivered a mix of coverage across Buckinghamshire based on commercial viability. Results from the Open Market Review would indicate commercial and non-commercial areas, and also show where delivering Project Gigabit would demonstrate best value.
• The Leader provided an undertaking to update the Select Committee on Project Gigabit as it developed.

The Chairman thanked the Leader and Lisa Michelson for the report and the information provided at the meeting.