Agenda item

Attending for this item:

John Hobbs, Director of Economy and Infrastructure

Rachel Hill, Assistant Director for Economy, Major Projects and Waste

Ste Ashton, Senior Project Manager

Robert Stepniewski, Project Manager

The Panel received an interim update on progress of the rollout of superfast broadband and was reminded that a full annual update would be provided in Spring 2022.

In the course of the discussion, the following main points were made:

·       The rollout of superfast broadband was going through a period of transition with the Government agenda moving towards the ambition of achieving at least 85% Gigabit capable coverage by the end of 2025.  Currently, the vast majority of households were happy with superfast broadband but there would be an ongoing increase in the demand for data and there was a need to get ahead for future demand.

·       There had been a shift to centrally run procurement and, as part of this, a national Open Market Review was being undertaken by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).  The Government was heavily reliant on commercial operators to reach 75-80% of the population, with the County Council then working to fill in the gaps.

·       With reference to the Broadband Voucher scheme (part of the wider Project Gigabit programme), Worcestershire County Council was in the top 5 authorities in terms of the value of vouchers secured.  The eligibility rules of the scheme had recently been changed and this had had implications for some communities already going through the process.  Concerns had been flagged with DCMS.

·       Officers also looked at 5G and general mobile connectivity, although this was just a steering role with no public money available.

·       The Chairman acknowledged that the rollout of superfast broadband had been a huge success and noted that many residents could not have worked at home during the pandemic without it.  However, there was a percentage of the population (possibly 2-3%) who still had poor broadband speeds and he asked what was being done for these residents.

·       In response, Members were reminded about the Universal Service Obligation (USO) which aimed to deliver broadband to the hardest to reach premises.  If a household or business had speeds of less than 10 Mbps, they had the right to request improvement.  Operators may look to provide mobile or cellular access.  Although areas with poor broadband often also had poor mobile coverage, things could be done to enhance the signal.

·       The Chairman requested that a summary sheet was produced showing options and suggested action for residents with poor broadband speeds.  Councillors could then use this to support residents in navigating the system.

·       It was confirmed that, for most residents and businesses, superfast broadband would meet current demand.  However, demand would increase in the future and the move to Gigabit broadband would support this.  The aim was to be fit and ready for future demand.

·       Achieving 97% coverage was commended.  However, it was acknowledged that there remained a need to focus on the remaining 3% and what could be done to expedite solving these issues.

·       Members raised specific issues about the Feckenham/Astwood Bank and Suckley areas.  Officers agreed to follow these up after the meeting.

·       With reference to the DCMS Open Market Review, once all of the data was received, it would be possible to understand the plans of the commercial operators and be clearer about what was needed to fill in.

·       It was suggested that, although the voucher scheme was a fairly simple process, there could be some delay in waiting for the initial quote.

·       Concern was expressed that, although over 150 community schemes had been set up, only 30 schemes had been delivered to date.  It was confirmed that further information would be sought from Openreach and Airband and consideration would be given as to how best to share this with the Panel.

·       With reference to the need to dig up footpaths as part of the rollout, it was confirmed that every effort was made to coordinate this with other work, but inevitably there would be occasional hiccups.

·       The Director of Economy and Infrastructure reminded the Panel that the Council was not a utility provider but rather acted as a community champion.  As the voucher scheme came to an end, it was important for the Council to consider its exit strategy.

·       The Chairman of the OSPB thanked officers for the professional way in which they undertook what was a very difficult job.

·       The Chairman of the Panel thanked the officers for attending and looked forward to a further update in the spring.