Trefor_Davies-Timico-BBC_Radio_Lincolnshire-1_March_09
Click on the above to hear the interview with William Wright on the BBC Lincolnshire Tech Spot on Monday March 1st. Talk covers VONGA and the Digital Dales Colloquium including the problem of fibre rateable values.
Alternatively James Linton of Vegastream has uploaded it to YouTube which streams and might be easier for you.
2 replies on “MP3 of the BBC interview re VONGA, fibre rates and the Digital Dales Colloquium”
Great stuff Tref, nice to have informed content being spoken for a change. Usually the ‘experts’ don’t have a clue but you told it as it is. Well done.
Power to our Vonga.
chris
The amount the govt levies for business rates on fibre networks depends on the “rateable value” of each stretch of cable. The problem is that the govt is proposing to charge (for business premises) the same amount per km for fibre from the exchange to small premises as it does for major inter-city links, the value of which is far greater in terms of revenue earned. It also proposes to distinguish fibre to residential premises and charge for that in the same way that it does for cable networks, ie about £7 “per home passed”. But it is nonsense in the 21st century to differentiate between a home, someone working from home, someone running a small business from home, a corner shop, or a small business operating out of an office. All could be using the same fibre broadband in the same street and yet the business rates could vary depending on whether the premises is business or residential. The rates need to be abolished or minimised so that UK SMEs can maximise their productivity at minimum cost.