Slide 1

Overview of B4GAL Community BroadbandSuperfast Broadband for Glencaple and LowtherPronounced bagelAmanda Burgauer, Community Broadband Scotland, Aviemore 24/4/2013Project BeginningsLack of connectivity identified in 2010 as an issue by local community, but considered out of our control (Glencaple and Lowther Local Community Led Plan)Brought forward again as top priority at community consultation in April 2012 (Elvanfoot Residents Association)Broadband project initiated June 2012B4GAL Community Broadband established Oct 2012 - working group of Glencaple & Lowther Development Group

April meeting had superfast broadband as number 1 priority for residents, but Elvanfoot is such a small hamlet that there wasnt a sustainable solution. Needed to go further afield and talk to other small villages close to us. October 2012, 106 people turned up to public meeting, to show their support for our broadband project.2

Remote Rural Southern Scotland

Nearest Town > 10,000 pop is Hamilton, about 45-60 minutes awaySouth Lanarkshire outlined in pink Glencaple and Lowther divided by the M75 motorway in the southern tip, bordering both Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders.3Our Area Glencaple and LowtherNine villages: Abington, Crawford, Crawfordjohn, Elvanfoot, Lamington, Leadhills, Roberton, Wanlockhead, WistonMoorland with settlements along the River Clyde and hilltops, mostly remote ruralPopulation around 2000About 700 housesMost work outside the area

Glencaple and Lowther are the names of two parishes, since merged into one, now known as Upper Clyde, as were at the source of the River Clyde. Includes the highest village in Scotland, Wanlockhead at 467m. Wanlockhead is in Dumfries and Galloway, while the others are in rural South Lanarkshire, though all share the ML12 6** post code. Picture shows the Southern Upland Way, which cuts through our area.4Our Connectivity4 local BT exchanges serve 9 villages: Crawford, Crawfordjohn, Elvanfoot and LamingtonVaries even within the same villageElvanfoot Activate Exchange max 512 kbps downloadCrawford and Leadhills exchanges max 8 Mbps but only a few can get itMany isolated homes with NO connectivityMore than 6 km spread around each exchange

Because some of the villages theoretically get >2Mbps, we have to be careful regarding State Aid regulations5Community EngagementQuestionnairePosters and door to doorPublic Meetings average one per month for past 12 monthsMapping names & addressesEvents

Technology ChoicesEvaluation of technologiesSuperfast, next generationSustainableFuture proofOptic Fibre Consultant hired to create network mapBackhaul identifiedCostings complete

The OfferingSuperfast broadbandInternet accessIP TelephonyIPTVSecurity camerasIn future:Training, Telemedicine, Education

The BusinessApplication for charitable status OSCR has accepted charitable purposesCompany limited by guarantee with Board of DirectorsAll profits to be spent within the CommunityBusiness Plan created showing sustainabilityFunding applications started

Next StepsFundraising: 1.47 millionRequest for Proposals from civil engineering contractorsProcurement with community benefit, i.e. training opportunitiesDigging in the optic fibreCreation of pilot studies with NHS and UWSMonitoring of social and economic benefit

Broadband and community resilience: Measuring impactFiona Heesen (fiona.heesen@abdn.ac.uk)

Pioneering Communities Seminar, April 24, 2013

12OutlineBackground

Resilience

Community broadband and resilience

Impact

Evaluating broadband

13Background14ResilienceWhat is resilience?The ability for a community, group or individual to adapt to change

Fig 1: Transitional ruptures, readjustment and recovery

From Wilson, 2012, p. 5715Community broadbandTwo key stages to community-led broadband

Designing and developing the networkImplementation of technology

Relationship with resilience?

Use of InternetProcess-based capacity building

16What is impact and how do we measure it?Impact can be broadly defined as:the demonstrable contribution that a process or innovation makes to society and the economy

Measuring?Understanding impact metrics

17Evaluation IUnderstanding real impact

ProcessDeveloping your outcome areas

Taking control of your research agenda and your story18Evaluation II19Research ProcessUsersIdentify a communitys expectations of both the organisation and the inclusion of superfast broadband infrastructureGovernanceIdentify skills needed, used, gained throughout the pre-connectivity process as a broadband initiativePre-connectivity InterviewsPost-connectivity InterviewsUsersAnalyse the potential resilience attributed to the inclusion of superfast broadband GovernanceIdentify characteristics from the process of implementing superfast services that influence resilience of that communityBackground Context SettingUsing secondary data, understand context (may involve surveys and so on)Heesen, F. 2013To give you an idea of how these principles might apply in practice this research process is from my thesis which is still ongoing, but I am doing xyz

Qualitative StudySemi-structured interviews including views from various adoption types

Since different methods to build the network are being employed, any transferable results will be rooted in the technolgy itself, although we also hope to identify what the community-led process has contributed to.

In this case I am specifically analysing the data for resilience contexts which may vary for others20Community BroadbandScotlandEvaluating the CBS programme

Importance of playmakers

21Questions?Optical Fibre in Community projectsUses and Options

Anything is technically possible.

If you can afford it.

Elementary

To keep in mind

This session is about Fibre

Its good for you, but not too technical !

People tend to think of fibre like this..

What is Fibre ?

But its not much use unless there is some equipment at each end.You can add it yourself 1Gbps relatively cheap (per port) 10Gbps not so cheap 100Gps very expensive

Or you can rent the whole thing as a fibre based product10Mbps100Mbps1000Mbps the GigWhat we like about fibre.It has very high capacity (its fast)It is very reliable.It is immune to electro-magnetic interference.It is not affected by weather.It is future proof.

What we dont like about fibre.There is not much of it about (that is usable).It is expensive to install.The equipment that is needed to terminate and use the fibre is expensive. This equipment must be housed somewhere

Which Means .It is deployed commercially where there will be a return on that high investment.

Core Networks (pretty much universal).Backhaul (Except in rural/remote areas).Access where the investment can be made.

There is a technology called PON used for high density deployments but we will ignore that for now

So how does it work for communities?Crudely speaking - the more fibre the better.

You probably wont have a core.Its excellent as backhaulEqually good mixed with high capacity wirelessWonderful for accessIf you can afford it

Assume you have a wireless access network

Adding fibre backhaul will make it fly.

So where can I get some?BackhaulDig in you own? From your network to where?Or rent from a communications provider?BT?From your network to where?Share with someone else?A current CBS challengeWhere !?!!!

What can you afford?A commercial operators Point of Presence (PoP)

A local business who might want to share?They could share the cost of install and rental.

A public sector site? A work in progress! Theres lots to do here. Where from is the question

They have all the Broadband IngredientsBut no Cake.

The ingredient you want is Ethernet Access Direct

10, 100Mb 25KM radial distance. 1000Mb - 35KM radial distance

But youll have to find the other ingredients..Getting a price from BTORGo to http://www.openreach.co.uk/pls/or_qq_owner/or_qq_frames.drawframe

Enter the products you want and the postcodes of the a end and b end.

The Installation price is subject to survey. But the rental is the key element with respect to sustainability. Getting a price from BTORSharing a fibreMPLS Cloudwww VPNBusiness VPNBusiness Internetwww

100 Mbps fibre

Community8KmHost BuildingFibre self dig

Practical Access by fibre

Covering off the access element..A rare (but beautiful) form of community project.Is relatively future proofHas a more challenging business case.But is generally viewed as Future Proof

A good example is B4RN in LancashireOr the developing B4GAL project in South LanarkshireAny Questions