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For assistance in understanding or reading this document or specific information about these Notes please call Ros Hession on 01629 761302 or e-mail [email protected] NORTHERN AREA COMMUNITY FORUM Notes of the Northern Area Community Forum held on 17 February 2016 at 7.00pm at the Agricultural Business Centre, Bakewell PRESENT Derbyshire County Councillor Judith Twigg (in the Chair) Council and Community Representative Derbyshire Dales - Councillors Albert Catt, Helen Froggatt, Chris Furness, Alyson District Council Hill, Neil Horton, Jean Monks, John Tibenham, Philippa Tilbrook and Jo Wild Dorcas Bunton (Chief Executive), Paul Wilson (Corporate Director and Deputy Chief Executive), Karen Henriksen (Head of Resources), Steve Capes (Head of Regeneration & Policy) and Ros Hession (Community Engagement Officer) Derbyshire County Robert Rowan (Digital Derbyshire Programme Manager), Council Kerry Bailey (Digital Derbyshire Engagement Officer) and Paul Jameson (Local Area Forum Liaison Officer) BT Rob Shakespeare (BT Group Contract Manager) Peak District National Sarah Fowler (Chief Executive) Park Authority Members of the Public Bakewell resident – Leonard Twigg Bakewell Town Council – Steve Edwards, Councillor Viv Parnham, Bill Storey Eyam Parish Council - John Plant Foolow – Simon Wills Hassop – J N Anderson Hathersage – Roger Dickson, Jane Marsden Hucklow Parish Council – Martin Beer Laminar Systems Ltd – Chris Sheppard Peak Park Residents Group - Lynda Aylett Green Residents – Mary Chaplin, Mr & Mrs Marriott, Tim Rhodes, plus two Stanton in Peak Parish Council – Sue Fogg Winster resident / Winster West End Broadband Pressure Group – John Biggin, Jim Dixon, John Mills, Emlyn T Walters, Steven White, Larissa & Terry Worthington Other – B Allsopp, George & Janet Challenger, Henry Folkard, Pat Lunn, Sophie Summerlin, Peter Watts plus five (38 in total) Presentations made be viewed in full on the District Council’s website, http://www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/your-council/consultations/area-community-forums WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION Councillor Twigg introduced Members and Officers from the participating authorities and welcomed everyone to the Forum. DIGITIAL DERBYSHIRE Robert Rowan, Kerry Bailey and Rob Shakespeare gave an update from Digital Derbyshire & BT on the roll-out of fibre optic broadband locally, which included:-. • Programme overview o What is Digital Derbyshire? o The Big Build Video • Programme update - Phase 1 and Phase 2 • Roll-out progress • Engagement • Useful links What is Digital Derbyshire? • Upgrade fibre services in rural/semi urban areas • National framework • Supplier and partner – BT • Reduce the digital divide • Mainly Fibre To The Cabinet (FTTC) The Big Build video further explained fibre to the cabinet and the roll out programme. Phase 1 • 358/433 cabinets enabled/live • Fibre broadband available to close to 76,000 premises • Over 500 miles of fibre cable has already been laid • More work between now and the end of 2016 Phase 2 • Contract signed summer 2015 • More funding – total contract £34m • Aim to extend coverage to 98% of Derbyshire • Remaining 2% other technologies - USC • Working with BT to map delivery Roll-out progress (Phase 1) 56 out of 79 cabinets now live in Derbyshire Dales, this equates to 12,500 out of 17,500 premises enabled with fibre services. Fibre enabled cabinets – locations (Phase 1) 2 Large parts of: • Bakewell, Hartington, Winster, Bradwell, Calver, Eyam and Hathersage can now order fibre broadband Still to be enabled in phase 1 – large parts of: • Taddington, Tideswell • More work to do in the future. Ordering fibre broadband • Not automatic - subscription based • BT wholesale checker – www.btwholesale.com/adslchecker Benefits of fibre broadband for business • Flexible working • Business growth • New market opportunities - international • Improved customer relations o Social media o Video conferencing • Cloud computing • Faster file & data transfer. Benefits of fibre broadband for home users • Simultaneous use i.e. catching up with the news • Improved download and upload speeds • Watch HD/4K TV • Stream movies and TV • Do homework online • Stay in touch with family and friends • Download and play games • Online learning / hobbies and interests • Work from home A table showed the take-up of fibre services in Derbyshire and the various districts within. • New website - www.digitalderbyshire.org.uk • Marketing material • Focus is to work with partners to: o Inform residents/businesses o Display promotional materials – raise awareness o Encourage take-up Digital Derbyshire Better Faster Broadband – a snapshot of what’s on the website includes:- • The whole family can be on line at the same tine • Ordering fibre broadband: Five easy steps • Better, faster broadband for businesses • Tips for choosing a broadband provider • Is better, faster broadband available in your area? Postcode search Useful websites Digital Derbyshire http://www.digitalderbyshire.org.uk/ BT Wholesale checker https://www.btwholesale.com/includes/adsl/main.html 3 Openreach Fibre Broadband - See how it's built https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0qN5XHuI5Q Superfast Fibre Home. A world without any annoying buffering You Tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq5_ZdARalg Our funders DigitalDerbyshire DigitalDbshire Questions and comments were then invited from the floor and issues were raised as follows:- • Nigel Anderson asked what broadband service could be expected. • Robert Rowan explained that copper technology enables a better broadband speed the nearer a property is to the cabinet. The BT wholesale checker allows either BT landline or postcode to show ‘fibre to the cabinet’ statistics. • Nigel Anderson further asked about costs to which Robert Rowan replied that BT Openreach is the provider and as such install the fibre and maintain the cabinets. BT Openreach work with internet providers, not direct with customers who are able to shop around for a provider. • Pat Lunn reported that for an increase of £1.50 per month, she had a 34 Mbps download speed and 5 Mbps upload speed. • Another attendee reported of a £5 decrease in monthly payments. • A member of the public noted the contract with BT and asked if there was potential to further upgrade capacity. For Europe, 800 Mbps capability per household was expected. • Rob Shakespeare explained that the infrastructure being installed is future proofed which will allow speed to be increased in the future. • Steven White, a resident of West Bank, Winster noted 2 out of 2 enabled cabinets in Winster. However, a third cabinet was unlikely to be enabled which could potentially serve not just residential properties, but businesses including, 2 pubs, 3 B & Bs, 2 camp sites and at least 10 holiday lets as well as residential premises. He stressed the importance of demonstrating the very best on offer in the Peak Park. Trip Advisor statistics showed that 26% required superfast broadband. A three year wait for this 4 additional cabinet was unsatisfactory. Small & medium sized enterprises (SMEs) relied upon up to date technology. • Robert Rowan advised that enablement would hopefully be in less than 3 years, but explained that initially areas of high concentration were being targeted. He emphasised that part of the area had been enabled and other areas for re-investment were now being looked at. • Chris Sheppard of Grange Mill was also served by cabinet 3 and asked how need was addressed and what research had been undertaken. Chris works from home - the technical infrastructure he uses is outside Derbyshire due to living in what he describes as an ‘infrastructure free zone’ and did not believe need had been looked at. • Robert Rowan clarified that; the assessment would have included speed, footfall and modelling. Digital Derbyshire is now looking with BT at remaining / outstanding areas and how these can be addressed and information should be available in the next 4 to 5 months. • In response to a further question from Mr Sheppard about how need is communicated, Robert Rowan urged residents to email Digital Derbyshire and stressed that they work with district councils to provide information to BT. • James Summerlin of Hathersage commented on business provision and noted 2 business parks in Hathersage which seem to have been left out from the main tranches. The focus had been on where there is high residential concentrate, but business provision needed to be addressed. • An Ible resident commented that provision seemed to be for the masses. She highlighted that all farm related paperwork now had to be submitted on line. There were many businesses in rural areas that sometimes struggled even with landline provision. • Sue Fogg, of Pilhough, a small hamlet near Stanton in Peak, asked if Digital Derbyshire / BT communicated to residents of possible service disruptions when work is carried out on the cabinets. Her neighbourhood had experienced problems (6 weeks with no internet, landline or mobile services) when works were being undertaken to connect a new housing estate in Darley Dale. As a communication company, she urged for better communications about what’s happening. She also advised that some in her area were considering satellite provision. • Robert Rowan was not aware of any issues and advised for problems to be reported to Digital Derbyshire and service providers. Ofcom’s role is to ensure that internet service providers