Broadband Update - August 2020

The first FTTP (fibre to the property) Openreach project in the village is now up and running. About 25 properties on the top of Doctor’s Hill are now able to benefit from almost infinite fibre broadband speeds! The infrastructure has been built by Openreach and a broadband service can be taken from any company that provides FTTP in our area. A similar FTTP scheme for lower Doctor’s Hill and the neighbouring part of Newtown Road is now being built, but Openreach has not yet given a completion date. These are both Community Fibre Partnerships, contracted through Openreach by groups of local residents. Openreach quotes were around £1,000 per property which has been covered by the government ‘Rural Gigabit’ voucher scheme; there was no cost to local residents for the infrastructure. Please do note that for eligible residents to benefit from a FTTP service you will have to request to update your current service and may have to change supplier.

Excited by our success on the above two projects we have been trying to set up similar small, manageable projects around the village. However, despite several projects being put forwards in the last 4 months, the quotes and suggested schemes coming back from Openreach have been much less favourable with too many properties included at too high a cost; £1,800 - £3,000 per property with large numbers of properties drawn into the schemes that were not actually submitted. Thus with quotes @£70,000 - £100,000 rather than £20,000 ish no further schemes currently look viable, but some coordinators are still negotiating….especially as the new FTTP infrastructure is about to be built right past their properties anyway….

Any queries then please email me on broadband@sherfieldenglish.org.uk

Best wishes, Ursula

(with congratulations to Eric and his team for successful project completion, John and Sarah for their project in hand, Kevin, Bryan, Jon, Emad, David & supporters for their work towards achieving improved connectivity for our communities….)

Broadband Update - May 2020

OpenReach Community Fibre Partnership agreements to install ‘Fibre-to-the-Property’ (FTTP) will give residents and businesses the ability to choose a FTTP provider and level of service from 30Mbps to 300Mbps The contract cost is fully covered by the Government’s ‘Rural Gigabit Voucher Scheme’, and the service will start sometime in the next 12 months. If you are part of the schemes below you will already have been contacted by your local broadband co-ordinators. Elsewhere in the village, if you currently get less than 30Mbps you are encouraged to seek a similar scheme.

Upper Doctor’s Hill - FTTP Community Fibre Partnership scheme with Openreach – Fibre hanging off nearby poles and road closures ongoing so….hopefully completion imminent!

Lower Doctor’s Hill & nearby Newtown Road residents - FTTP Community Fibre Partnership scheme with Openreach signed and cost fully covered by rural gigabit Vouchers. Installation perhaps by end of 2020.

Gambledown - FTTP Community Fibre Partnership scheme with Openreach signed

West Wellow 3 Branches Lane/Pound Lane OR Newtown Road/A27 area – I have had some interest in putting together a scheme for these 2 areas – if you are happy for me to pass on your details to a possible scheme co-ordinator then do contact me again now!

The latest scheme costings were a third of the initial Openreach estimate and the lowest price per property seen locally, at £670 per property. Rural gigabit vouchers are now worth £1,500, residential and £3,500 per business (small sole traders count) and therefore will now easily cover scheme costs.

Check your cabinet connection and available options using http://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/adslchecker.welcome

Register your interest in a community fibre partnership on Openreach website https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/community-fibre-partnerships/how-to-apply-for-a-cfp

Do email if you have any questions about setting up a local scheme. We now have community models that work.

Ursula, broadband@sherfieldenglish.org.uk

Broadband Update - March 2020

Full-fibre broadband is set to reach another part of the village Further to last year’s FTTP scheme for the top of Doctors Hill a second group of 30 properties at the bottom of Doctors Hill and in Newtown Road have accepted an offer from OpenReach to install ‘Fibre-to-the-Property’ (FTTP). The contract will give residents and businesses the ability to choose a FTTP provider and level of service from 30Mbps to 300Mbps, which is approximately 100 times faster than currently! The contract cost is fully covered by the Government’s ‘Rural Gigabit Voucher Scheme’, and the service will start sometime in the next 12 months. Another advantage of FTTP is that you no longer have to have, or pay for, a ‘landline’. Your existing phone number can be transferred to the much higher quality digital service. It is also noted that FTTP monthly costs have fallen dramatically in the last 12 months and it could now be cheaper to have an FTTP service than households currently pay for broadband.

If you are part of either of the above two schemes you will already have been contacted by your local broadband co-ordinators John, Sarah or Eric. Community thanks to all three for co-ordinating and sorting the paperwork.

Anyone else in the village who is currently getting a miserable broadband service is encouraged to seek a similar scheme. The political situation is improving, vouchers are larger and FTTP installation prices are rapidly decreasing as technology improves and demand increases.

The latest schemes final costing was a third of the initial Openreach estimate and the

lowest price per property seen locally. At £670 per property rural gigabit vouchers worth £1,500, residential and £3,500 per business (small sole traders count) will easily cover the scheme costs. Check your cabinet connection and available options using http://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/adslchecker.welcome Register your interest in a community fibre partnership on Openreach website https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/community-fibrepartnerships/

Do email if you have any questions about setting up a local scheme. We now have community models that work. John & Ursula, broadband@sherfieldenglish.org.uk