Issue - meetings

To consider an update on broadband provision within the Borough

The Committee considered a report, set out in agenda pages 31 to 44, which gave an update on broadband provision within the Borough.

The report outlined the current position with regard to the existing Superfast Berkshire Broadband project, which would give broadband coverage with speeds of over 24Mbps to 98.64% of households in the Borough. The report added that a strategy was in place to increase full-fibre coverage in Berkshire to 95% by the end of 2025 from the current baseline of 13.86%. Achievement of this target would require actions to try and ensure that both commercial and subsidised provision was expedited and that investment in Berkshire’s digital infrastructure did not lag behind other parts of the country.

Stuart Munro (Executive Member for Business and Economic Development), Grant Thornton (Category Manager Economic Prosperity & Place (Interim)), Rhian Hayes (Interim Assistant Director Housing and Place), and Lynne Wilson (Project and Program Manager for Digital Projects across Berkshire) attended the meeting to answer Member queries.

During the ensuing discussions, Members raised the following points and queries:

·           How was Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) actively advertising the Gigabit voucher scheme to our rural communities and businesses? Officer response – Some residents and Town and Parish Councils had been directly written to in the past. There was a plan to promote the scheme more widely, and there was an aspiration to work with Connecting Communities Berkshire to see how they might outreach and promote this directly with the Borough’s more rural communities.

·           Was there a plan to provide the Gorse Ride regeneration homes with ultrafast broadband provision, as one of the aspirations of the overall plan was to provide social housing with ultrafast broadband. Officer response – There was an ongoing conversation taking place with the Gorse Ride steering group and local residents, as this was seen as a great opportunity to provide top class broadband to a redeveloped estate. Conversations were ongoing with the appropriate contacts about making this a trial project.

·           How much of the rollout may require public subsidy, how much might this cost, and what provisions were being made? Officer response – The primary source of finance was the Gigabit initiative from central Government. It was a Government objective, and it was down to the Government to issue the contracts which should deal with the vast majority of those people and businesses not connected commercially. Based on Government figures, 85% of properties are expected to have full fibre provision by 2025, with the further 15% to be looked at later. Berkshire’s objective is set slightly higher, at 95% coverage by 2025.

·           Members requested that information be provided when available relating to the level of grants expected and how much of a potential funding gap might need to be filled relating to full fibre rollout.

·           Recent full fibre rollout in the Winnersh area had seen an 18 month delay between laying the infrastructure and users being able to take-up the service. What would change in the future to prevent delays in take-up in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29