UK Government Offers Advice on Community Broadband Projects

The Government’s Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has today uploaded a batch of reports and case studies that are designed to provide help and information for anybody looking to establish their own community broadband solutions.

The main summary page includes a general introduction to community schemes, as well as some guidance documents and a long list of case studies, which highlight 10 existing community focused roll-outs of superfast broadband. Many of the case studies are based on a BT (FTTC/P) deployment, although there are also some from B4RN and other projects.

A statement by DCMS said, “Over the past few years, a number of communities – both urban and rural – have successfully improved broadband access in their local area. The aim of [this information] is to build on their successes by helping other community groups to access and benefit from potential models, case studies, guidance and funding options relevant to local broadband projects.”

All of this appears to play into what the Government’s Digital Minister, Matthew Hancock MP, said earlier in the week (here) about supporting alternative network providers and being “on the side of the challenger.”