Categories
broadband Business internet

Timico Sponsors Digital Dales Colloquium – Making the Final Third Happen

Iam pleased to announce sponsorship of the first Digital Dales Colloquium of 2010. Entitled “Making the Final Third Happen”, the meeting will take place at Timico’s Newark Headquarters on Friday February 26th.

Digital Dales events are key get-togethers for stakeholders in rural community broadband projects. They attract a wide range of participants including MPs, the media (including the BBC), equipment vendors, service providers, local authorities, community leaders and of course end users.

With the Digital Economy Bill currently very much in the news, and a March 1st meeting scheduled between the Broadband Stakeholders Group and the Valuation Office Agency to discuss Property Tax this February meeting is very timely. Rates on fibre connections are seen as a major obstacle to making rural broadband an economic proposition.

Also on the agenda will be a progress report on the FTTC Virgin Media trials in Cornwall, an overview of ongoing projects in the USA, a proposal by Dr Charles Trotman of the Countryside Landowners Association on collaborative approaches to the Rural Broadband problem, and feedback from Lindsey Annison on innovative funding options.

The sponsorship of the Digital Dales Colloquium is very much part of Timico as a service provider living up to our social responsibility.  No one organisation is going to solve the problem of the “Digital Divide” but if we can all make a contribution then it will make a difference.

Check out more details on the Colloquium including how to sign up here.

Categories
broadband Business

Broadband Stakeholder Group Not Very Helpful

Established in 2001 as a cross-sector government advisory group, the Broadband Stakeholder Group has only disappointed.

Catching up on my reading this morning I note that the Broadband Stakeholder Group sees the Government’s Next Generation Fund (ie the 50p tax on analogue lines) as a “Forward looking, innovative and proportionate proposal that will benefit all”.

I also note in the Extended Play version of it’s press release on the subject that “The BSG was established as a cross-sector government advisory group in 2001 to help the UK lead the G7 in broadband penetration and connectivity.”For reference this is what the G7 broadband leadership league table looks like today according to the Oxford University Said Business School report. The numbers are the position in the broadband leadership league table,

japan 2
usa 15
Canada 17
france 18
uk 25
germany 27
italy 38

Whilst I think we need such an organisation as the Broadband Stakeholder Group I guess the question I am asking is whether it is really doing UK PLC any favours. By it’s own measures of success it is not succeeding. The BSG needs to be more forthright in its advice to Government.