WRITTEN EVIDENCE FROM NORTH KINCARDINE RURAL COMMUNITY COUNCIL We write to the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee on behalf of the community of North Kincardine and with the support of North Kincardine Rural Community Council, to present our views on key issues relating to broadband in Scotland. Through the South Deeside View, our local newsletter, we have sought information and views from local residents on their experience of broadband coverage in this area. With their help we have compiled data on our local broadband speeds. We present the latter in the form of an attached spreadsheet. The main points we wish to make are as follows: 1. There are 900 household and business premises in the North Kincardine Rural Community Council area. We are wedged between Peterculter, Bieldside, Aberdeen City, Portlethen, Newtonhill and Stonehaven. We are served by the exchanges of Peterculter, Bieldside, Cults, Kincorth, Newtonhill and Stonehaven. Most of the households and business premises referred to are at the end of the poorly maintained and archaic cabling from these exchanges and cannot enjoy the benefits of even a moderate broadband speed. 2. This area, although it is rural, contains a disproportionately large number of small high-tech commercial companies, many of them engaged in science and engineering or associated with the oil industry in Aberdeen. Many individuals located in the area work for companies based in Aberdeen, or for international organisations. The uptake of broadband is above the national average and there is strong demand for high connection speeds. 3. Connection speeds, shown in the attached spreadsheet, are low by current standards. Most of us experience speeds below 1Mbps and many have speeds below 0.5 Mbps. Some have no coverage at all. Even the best speeds in the area fall short of 5 Mbps. Yet many of us are engaged in high-tech activities and need very high connection speeds. 4. Although BT has aspirations to reach 20 Mbps for 90% of the population by Spring 2013, and two thirds up to 40Mbps by 2015, we would be grateful if we could obtain 6-8 MBps. It is not the next generation of broadband we aspire to – it is the level already available to people in cities and urban centres. 5. We wish to make the point that many of the businesses important to Scotland are located in rural areas – especially those on the periphery of Aberdeen. It is important that these businesses, and the people who live and work in this area, are provided with adequate broadband services. Currently those services fall far short of what is required. 6. Examples of the problems we are currently encountering include: Very sluggish connections, an inability to log on to the server at busy times and connections falling away without warning An inability to send attachments of even moderate size and a lack of ability to stream video material, poor Skype connections. All of these are vital to individuals and businesses with international links. The state of the cabling in the area is poor, with water ingress during rain and afterwards - a problem that has been acknowledged by BT Open Reach crews. Inexplicable differences in broadband speed between neighbouring houses only several metres apart. 7. We believe there is an urgent need for local exchanges like Bieldside, Peterculter and Newtonhill to be upgraded. 8. No one, including ACSEF and other lobby groups, is adequately representing the views of small and medium size enterprises in this area, despite the importance of those businesses to the recovery of the national economy. 9. We understand that there are new techniques for installing fibre optic cabling and superfast cabinets which will make it easier to provide higher broadband speeds to rural areas, and would urge the Scottish Government to implement these techniques in those rural areas which have a large proportion of business users. 10. In our area 15 to 18 year olds are disadvantaged as, under the new Curriculum for Excellence programme, students are encouraged to access material provided and supported by external partners, including video or web conferencing on an ‘’anytime, anywhere’’ approach. Currently local students cannot do this from home. In summary- All we are looking for is a reliable broadband connection with a speed of 6 to 8 Mbps Speed Down Speed Up Name Exchange ISP (mbps) (mbps) Business Notes Household1 Maryculter Bieldside BT 0.000 0.000 No broadband reception at all Household2 Banchory Devenick Bieldside PlusNet 0.426 0.230 House Builder Maryculter Bieldside BT 0.456 0.161 Business House building company Household3 Banchory Devenick Bieldside Tesco 0.480 0.240 Business Household4 Maryculter Bieldside BT 0.488 0.214 Household5 Banchory Devenick Bieldside BT 0.522 0.378 Suspects that he is sharing line Household6 Maryculter Bieldside BT 0.767 0.506 Household7 Blairs Bieldside Btbusiness 1.120 0.170 Business Household8 Banchory Devenick Bieldside BT 1.216 0.252 Business Household9 Banchory Devenick Bieldside BT 2.519 0.579 Household10 Blairs Bieldside AOL 2.712 0.594 Business Household11 Banchory Devenick Bieldside BT 2.760 1.500 Household12 Banchory Devenick Bieldside BT 2.808 0.360 Put in extra line few years ago Household13 Banchory Devenick Bieldside BT 2.832 0.381 Household14 Blairs Bieldside Virgin 3.906 0.362 Household15 Maryculter Culter 0.000 0.000 No broadband reception at all Household16 Netherley Culter 0.200 0.000 Household17 Maryculter Culter BT 0.240 0.350 Business Household18 Maryculter Culter Orange 0.300 0.220 Household19 Maryculter Culter PlusNet 0.330 0.370 Household20 Maryculter Culter BT 0.376 0.000 Business Household21 Maryculter Culter BT 0.400 0.300 Business Household22 Maryculter Culter 0.480 0.350 Household23 Maryculter Culter BT 0.480 0.275 Business Household24 Maryculter Culter BT 0.483 0.191 Business Household25 Maryculter Culter 0.500 0.320 Business Household26 Maryculter Culter Virgin 0.500 0.350 Household27 Maryculter Culter BT 0.506 0.371 Household28 Netherley Culter BT Vodafone 0.512 0.256 Business Household29 Maryculter Culter BT 0.524 0.237 Household30 Maryculter Culter 0.550 0.700 Business Next door to Maryculter House Hotel with almost 5Mb Security Contractor Maryculter Culter 0.582 0.364 Business Large business operating worldwide Household31 Maryculter Culter Internet for Business0.712 0.344 Business Household32 Maryculter Culter BT 0.885 0.326 Business Household33 Maryculter Culter BT 0.960 0.241 Business Household34 Maryculter West Culter BT 1.100 0.317 Variable from 0.307mbps to 0.348mbps up Household35 Maryculter Culter Internet for Business1.192 0.348 Business Reading down when it rains and afterwards Comunications Firm Maryculter Culter PlusNet 1.200 0.300 Business Business operating worldwide IT consultancy Maryculter Culter Demon Internet 1.210 0.590 Business 2.4mbps down on occasions Household36 Maryculter Culter BT 1.708 0.360 Household37 Maryculter Culter AOL 2.174 0.521 Household38 Maryculter Culter BT 2.898 0.361 Hotel Maryculter Culter 4.877 0.769 Business Large hotel Household39 Maryculter Culter BT 5.529 0.641 Household40 Maryculter Culter BT 5.629 0.600 Business Household41 Maryculter Culter BT 5.932 0.448 Household42 Blairs Cults Sky 1.970 0.360 Reading went up from .3 to 1.9 on the 13th of Sept??? Household43 Ardoe Cults 2.905 0.370 Household44 Banchory Devenick Kincorth Virgin 0.466 0.223 Business School Banchory Devenick Kincorth 5.626 6.670 School Household45 Netherley Newtonhill Sky 0.114 0.368 Across the road from Lairhillock school Household46 Netherley Newtonhill BT 0.120 0.200 Next door to Albapower Civil contractor Netherley Newtonhill BT Zen 0.120 0.200 Business Large Civil Engineering Contractors Household47 Netherley Newtonhill BT 0.335 0.223 Suspects that he is sharing line Household48 Netherley Newtonhill BT 0.411 0.356 Household49 Netherley Newtonhill BT 0.470 0.370 Household50 Cookney Newtonhill Sky 0.509 0.326 Engineering contractor Netherley Newtonhill 0.510 0.201 Business Large business employs 35 staff Lodge Netherley Newtonhill 0.732 0.372 Business B+B Lodge with 16 rooms recently built, next to Lairhillock House School Netherley Newtonhill BT 0.932 1.116 School Household51 Netherley Newtonhill AOL 1.176 0.266 Business Reading down when it rains and afterwards Household52 Netherley Newtonhill BT 1.456 0.448 Business Household53 Netherley Newtonhill BT 1.714 0.379 Business Household54 Cookney Newtonhill BT 1.946 0.363 Household55 Netherley Stonehaven AOL 1.100 0.260 Reading down when rains and afterwards.