Contact: John Rees-Evans, Head of Economic Development, ext: 6628

email: [email protected]

Jos Creese, Head of IT Services, ext: 7436 email: [email protected]

Summary

This report sets out the background to developing broadband availability and take up across Hampshire - its importance for community and economic reasons, and the current state of play. It recommends a stronger leadership role for the County Council, especially in the way it works with partner organisations in encouraging broadband availability and take-up.

[Note: this report has tried to avoid too much discussion of technology, but cannot avoid it entirely. Therefore a glossary of terms (which is attached at the end of the report) has been added to assist understanding of the different technologies]

1. Introduction - Why Does Broadband Matter?

1.1 `Broadband' is the generic term used to describe faster, `always on' un-metered connection to the Internet. The high speed and capacity allow subscribers to make use of services such as multimedia which are impractical on slower connections. Unfortunately within this there are many different definitions used by suppliers, usually around the actual capacity of the line, and this can make price and service comparisons difficult.

1.2 In spite of advertising campaigns and local awareness-raising many people still don't understand the benefits of broadband, and as a result both demand for and take-up of the service is still relatively low. Equally, there are significant pockets of demand - particularly in rural areas - which are unmet by broadband providers.

1.3 Broadband is an important issue for the County Council because:

· It is critical for our own operations and public service provision. The infrastructure for this is being delivered by the Hampshire Public Services Network (HPSN);

· It is increasingly important for the public for home access to the internet, and the County Council receives many complaints that broadband access is not currently reaching many rural communities;

· It can make an important contribution to the success of Hampshire businesses both large and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), and we wish to encourage its availability and uptake for economic vitality;

Indeed, the availability of broadband access is a contributor to each of the strategic aims of the County Council.

· Aim 1 - Maximising life opportunities - examples include being able to pursue lifelong learning, participate more fully in community activities and contribute to the community, improve job prospects, improve competitiveness of local businesses and so on;

· Aim 2 - Stewardship of the environment - using broadband to reduce the amount of travelling required, provide information services about how communities can contribute to sustainability of the environment in which they live and work;

· Aim 3 - Achieving economic prosperity - improving the prospects for business competitiveness and investment, and the strength of the Hampshire economy through provision of high added value services. Supporting the vitality of rural areas. Building skills and access to on-line information/training opportunities;

· Aim 4 - Building strong and safe communities - reporting problems and incidents in a more timely fashion, providing public protection services with more detailed and typically pictorial electronic information, enabling communities to work together to improve public safety. Helping build a sense of place amongst local communities;

· Aim 5 - Improving services - in the way the County Council and other public services interact in sharing information to provide better services and more accessible services to the public;

· Aim 6 - Developing Councillors and staff - broadband will be an increasingly important mechanism in support of the activities of the County Council, and in particular will support activities such as e-Learning. It also provides the infrastructure for more flexible working practices and assists recruitment and retention.

2. Community Strategy and the `Information Society'

2.1 It is increasingly important that all members of the community have, as far as possible, equal access to the internet. This is not just about computers; it is about equal access for all to information and services, increasingly through technology.

2.2 Without this we could create a two-tier society of the `information rich' and the `information poor' - the so-called `digital divide'. This is recognised as a future differentiator of the quality of life in the 21^st Century. It affects individuals (e.g. finding jobs, seeking support, taking control of their own lives more), families (e.g. keeping in touch, education and life long learning) and communities (e.g. working together, sharing ideas, engaging in democracy). Frustration grows for those people living in more remote parts of our county without access to broadband.

2.3 This is one of many areas where the e-Government and the community strategies of local authorities link closely.

2.4 Hampshire is well-placed in so much as many parts of the county region are already serviced with broadband access (albeit the more limited `ADSL' form or in more urban areas). But it also suffers from the national problem of poor access in the rural parts of the county and some suburban areas, and this is one of the main challenges where action is needed.

3. Why is Access Poor in Some Areas?

3.1 The growing access to broadband nationally is driven by demand:

· From businesses - typically, larger business who can afford `larger capacity' broadband connections, but also business to business services with high demand for data exchange;

· From the public sector - access to schools, libraries, main services centres;

· From the public - aggregated community demand leading to the commercial viability for operators to `enable' telephone exchanges or to construct broadband `points of presence' (PoPs).

3.2 Although demand and take up are, overall, much lower than suppliers would wish, and certainly `patchy', existing demand is such that it cannot all be satisfied at once by private sector providers such as BT and NTL. In spite of advertising campaigns and local awareness-raising, many people still don't understand the benefits of broadband, and as a result demand for the service is still relatively low. BT have published minimum target levels of demand which would justify upgrading local telephone exchanges to support the lowest level of so-called `broadband' services (called ADSL). This is working well in some areas, but typically as a direct result of local campaigners working hard to generate interest at a very local level.

3.3 Inevitably priorities have had to be set by demand. This means that those areas where the returns on investment are most certain/largest or where the risks are lower, or where the task is easiest, have come first. Typically this means urban areas. Providing PoPs in rural communities is comparatively time consuming, costly, and often with much less certain returns.

3.4 One of the ways that this is being addressed is through aggregation of demand - pooling the needs of communities as a whole, linking public and private sector demand. This is at the centre of the work of the Department of Trade and Industry (Dti) and its `Regional Aggregation Bodies' (RABs) set up under its Broadband Aggregation Programme. It is also at the centre of work being conducted to support this by SEEDA, in which the County Council is already involved.

3.5 None of these is adequate. The BT initiative has merit, but many areas cannot reach the so-called `trigger points', and there is some confusion about what really is needed and the best way to achieve it. The County Council is often asked to take a lead on this. In some areas alternative solutions need to be considered and there are projects under way across the country trialling alternative technologies (including Hampshire). In addition, ADSL technology is only a temporary solution on the way to `full' broadband access for many.

3.6 The national initiatives are large and focussed on the conceptual boundaries of `regional government' - our interest lies at a practical level of what we can do for those who live and work in Hampshire, building on the specific structural strengths, weaknesses and opportunities in Hampshire. However, we can use national and regional funding to assist in this by working closely with SEEDA and the RABs.

4. Economic Vitality

4.1 Just as once the road and rail infrastructures were important drivers of economic prosperity, so the broadband infrastructure will in the future determine economic success. Companies and individuals are now taking into account the availability and cost of broadband when choosing where to live and work. Pressure will increase as the current generation of school pupils and students move into the work market having experienced broadband at school and college. A county region that does not effectively exploit the opportunities offered by technology will find competition harder in the global economy.

4.2 The County Council can use its influence to accelerate the development of physical networks, their uptake, and the support networks which help ensure effective utilisation of the opportunity by communities and businesses. In the complex scene of new technologies, funding streams and variety of interested agencies, the County Council has an important role in ensuring:

· Broadband networks reach all parts of the community, including disadvantaged areas;

· Agencies work together to avoid duplication and fill gaps;

· External funding is maximised;

· Private sector investment in both infrastructures and "content" is attracted to Hampshire.

4.3 This is vital to the county being able to retain its economic success in the face of competition from other areas of the UK and Europe. Put simply, broadband is a critical success factor for the UK's small firms, but its wider availability is constrained by the rate at which businesses adopt it. Broadband services offer a range of benefits to businesses, including (for example):

· enhanced business competitiveness through faster access to information, ability to share information more readily (especially moving images and pictures);

· ability for business to establish an effective trading presence on the World Wide Web in order to compete for business;

· a reputation for technology to support business which encourages more businesses to wish to trade in Hampshire and inward investment;

· Flexible working arrangements - allowing access to business tools from home, reducing travel needs etc

4.4 It is also an important fact that many businesses do not find the base-level broadband services, which have been most widely advertised adequate (i.e. ADSL technology typically offered by internet service providers for home broadband access). Many are already needing to upgrade to the next level of broadband (eg SDSL technology and beyond).

5. Where HPSN Fits In

5.1 The vision of a single shared public sector `backbone' network was set in about 1997/98, when it became clear that the County Council needed to replace its own aging network, but could do so in a way that could help to encourage future links to other organisations.

5.2 A tendering exercise was undertaken in 1999, and a seven year contract was let to Unisys for the implementation of HPSN, essentially to:

· Replace the County Council's existing network;

· Reduce costs by integrating voice and data services in a single network;

· Provide the basis for a wider partnership of organisations using HPSN.

5.3 Since then considerable progress has been made against the original aims, and there has been growth beyond the original expectations.

5.4 In addition, HPSN is now offering potential support of the wider need for broadband connectivity in the region.

5.5 At its simplest level, the strategic aim is to deliver scalable, reliable, effective and high value broadband to all public sector organisations in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight region, and to associated private sector organisations where this supports the County Council's strategic objectives. In so doing the aim is to provide a range of added value services in support of wider e-Government aims delivered through HPSN.

5.6 More generally, we want to promote availability of broadband services to people and businesses in the region to enable everyone to participate in, and to benefit from, the `Information Age'.

5.7 HPSN therefore forms the core technology of much of the Council's e-Government and ICT strategy. In developing HPSN, the County Council recognised that a unified and integrated broadband infrastructure could have a significant impact on the ability to link services, so making services easier for the public to use. In this way it supports many, if not all, of the County Council's strategic aims. HPSN is as much to do with connecting external public sector organisations together as is to do with ensuring that the County Council itself has broadband services. HPSN is the integration solution for all public service networking in the region, for voice (telephony) and data (electronic information). It is not limited to any one technology, but aims to be able to adapt flexibly in adopting innovative fixed and mobile connections, to meet changing needs of front line service and the public.

5.8 HPSN is delivered through a partnership with the private sector. Hampshire County Council ensures that the contracts supporting HPSN operate in a way which best enables the wider objectives of HPSN, on behalf of the County Council and partners.

5.9 Public sector organisations, such as the `Hampshire and Isle of Wight (HIOW) e-Government Partnership' by working together and pooling resources, will extend the reach and increase the value of HPSN, and the economic and social well being of communities. In this way it is also supporting national government policy and attracting the attention of the South East England Development Agency.

5.10 What makes HPSN different from other broadband projects is that it is a service and a network. Public service HPSN members will receive:

· A range of high value broadband services (eg. multimedia etc);

· Shared solutions to e-Government problems (such as access to secure public networks such as the Government Secure Intranet, Hantsnet and the NHSNet);

· Sharing applications between and within organisations where appropriate (such as email, email directories, financial systems, video conferencing, catalogue of services, social care systems, e-forms etc);

· Reduced costs of telephony and data sharing between HPSN partners.

5.11 HPSN membership is not restricted to public sector organisations. The aim is to make it available to the private sector in a controlled way, where there is real value added to the public sector HPSN adopters and to wider economic and social wellbeing.

5.12 It is not so much that the vision is new, but that it is now more of a reality, and the scale and scope has increased. In many ways HPSN is moving beyond a technology strategy to being a key part of the Community activities, Economic Development strategies, Sustainability plans and other areas.

5.13 HPSN is a critical strategic development both for e-Government targets and for the County Council's aims more generally. It reflects national priorities, and is increasingly attracting attention from other regions as an example of best practice.

5.14 The contract represents very good value for money - indeed, had the contract been let a year later the costs would have been much higher.

5.15 The vision for HPSN as a low cost, secure broadband network and information service for public sector organisations within Hampshire has now been extended as a potential mechanism for community and private sector broadband services. Three years into this complex programme, good progress has been made, although unavoidably also some challenges and problems along the way. Its success is demonstrated by the pace of take-up, enabling local government partners in Hampshire to share information and facilities within a secure environment, and setting a national lead in how such inter-working can be achieved.

5.16 Early problems are increasingly under control, and actions to correct difficulties are being put in place. The next few years will see further growth in HPSN as demands for broadband increase, stimulated by genuine need.

6. What the County Council is doing already

6.1 In practice, the County Council is already taking a lead in broadband development in Hampshire. However, it has been largely in public sector adoption of broadband, where HPSN has been recognised as a national example of good practice. HPSN now delivers broadband to over 1000 sites in Hampshire, including all but one local authority, and a report was brought to Cabinet earlier this year on HPSN.

6.2 More generally IT Services has been working closely with other service departments such as Education (South East Grid for Learning (SEGfL), Libraries (Peoples Network), Recreation and Heritage (community facilities) and the Economic Development Office (business development and `Broadband Champions'). A summary of this work, underpinned by the HPSN, is attached at Appendix 1. This shows just how many initiatives are underway.

7. Developing Partnerships

7.1 A number of important partnerships with the County Council have developed over the last couple of years, which are helping to establish a coordinated approach to development of broadband access and usage in Hampshire:

· Regional Aggregation Body (RAB), set up by the dti to look at ways of coordinating public sector broadband demand;

· Business Link Wessex, the Economic Development Office is working with the government's local business support agency to promote the benefits of broadband;

· Wired Wessex, set up by Business Link Wessex and the Economic Development Office to build growth and added value in the creative and media industries;

· Hampshire and Isle of Wight e-Government partnership (HIOW), set up by IT Services to enable better coordination of e-Government projects across public services;

· Hampshire Broadband Forum, is being set up to improve availability, access and take up of broadband services in Hampshire through collaboration between public and private agencies working with local communities and businesses (see Appendix 2);

· The South East Forum for Electronic Government (SEFEG) a regional grouping of local authority partnerships addressing the e-Government agenda. SEFEG is also considering broadband aggregation, and the HIOW partnership is represented, through the County Council;

· The South East Grid for Learning (SEGfL) - South East Grid for Learning. A regional broadband consortium of 17 local authorities whose aim is to promote the provision of high quality, best value digital learning material.

7.3 The development of these partnerships and the links, which can be formed to other partnerships (e.g. the LSPs) will be important if Hampshire is truly to demonstrate a coordinated approach to broadband. A List of the main partnerships and their composition and purpose is show at Appendix 3.

7.4 In particular, the County Council has been approached by BT to form a joint approach in promoting broadband in remoter areas of the county. They would benefit through greater take-up of the ADSL exchange services they have or are enabling, resulting in an improved return on the investment. In return, they can potentially offer a faster availability of low cost broadband enabled exchanges in rural areas in Hampshire where the demand can be made evident.

8. How the County Council can play a Greater Role

8.1 In taking a strong lead on broadband matters in the county, the County Council would not be unusual. Many county councils have recognised the importance of this key infrastructure and are developing partnerships to secure funding and to drive forward progress. Many county councils are adopting an approach in recognition of the contribution to strategic objectives

A list of national examples is attached at Appendix 4.

8.2 This report recommends that the Cabinet supports the adoption of a Broadband Development Strategy and action plan, which sets out how the County Council should adopt a leadership role in stimulating broadband availability, and usage. A proposed policy statement which provides the direction for this is attached at Appendix 5.

9. Conclusions

9.1 Hampshire has many advantages as a relatively prosperous area and much has already been achieved. Many local companies are already making considerable use of the Internet for business, and are beginning to adopt e-commerce. Considerable investment has been made in providing free internet access in libraries. The County Council itself continues to be in the lead in the examples it sets in the use of technology, and is working with the private sector and other agencies to develop integrated technology to allow improved sharing of information. However, there remain a number of challenges, none greater at present than securing broadband access for all, especially in the more rural and remote parts of the county.

9.2 The main thrust of resource allocation for Hampshire County Council in supporting broadband infrastructure must continue to be the delivery of improved services through exploitation of HPSN. In addition though, we can lead an improvement in the coordination of other resources both internal and with our partners. The overriding aim will be to bring greater benefits to those who live and work in Hampshire, by harnessing funding and resources.. Examples of potential additional sources of funding include:

· National Grid for Learning (NGfL);

· Implementing e-Government (IEG);

· National Lottery;

· SEEDA broadband community schemes (including Area Investment Frameworks);

· European funds (eg Interreg);

· Business Link Wessex (Small Business Service);

· Hampshire & Isle of Wight Learning and Skills Council;

· Private sector.

9.3 It is not proposed that the County Council should subsidise broadband in Hampshire. The private sector needs to be allowed to establish the right business/commercial model for delivery. However, leaving broadband provision completely to the market will result in a number of problems for Hampshire, including patchy delivery, lost opportunities of aggregation, and Hampshire slipping behind competitor county regions in broadband availability and take-up. It is essential therefore that the County Council takes a number of steps to both stimulate demand and help to create the conditions that will enable successful and widespread take-up of broadband internet access right across the county.

Recommendations

1. That the County Council adopts the broadband strategy and policy attached at Appendix 5, noting that this may be subject to change as circumstances develop;

2. That the County Council pursues the extension of the HPSN to support business and community broadband requirements, where appropriate, and where the risks can be adequately managed;

3. That the County Council signs up partnership agreements with key public sector suppliers (including BT) to encourage continuing investment in facilities and technology solutions for those who live and work in Hampshire;

4. That the County Council formally supports the establishment of a Hampshire Broadband Forum, led by Hampshire County Council, and as set out in Appendix 2 to co-ordinate partnership activity, and continues to work with Wired Wessex as its locally based strategic partner, as appropriate;

5. That the County Council prepares a detailed bid in 2004/05 to SEEDA for funding based on partnership inputs from the Hampshire Economic Partnership, Business Link Wessex, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Learning and Skills Council, the private sector (eg. BT) and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight e-Government Partnership;

6. That the County Council develops its own adoption of broadband for its employees and Members accessing essential information services remotely (eg. from home) in support of wider flexible working patterns and arrangements.

APPENDIX 1

Summary of Key Broadband Initiatives led by the County Council

Hampshire County Council is already involved in a range of broadband activities. To date the main broadband programme, led by IT Services, is typically linked to HPSN.

SEGfL Phase 2 Procurement

New contracts for broadband services for schools are due to be let in March 2004. This will have a major impact on the deployment of broadband services across Hampshire. IT Services are working closely with the Education Department during the procurement.

NHS

The NHS is looking to award a new contract for NHSnet in quarter 2 of 2004. The biggest challenge for the Programme is to work with the HIOW Strategic Health Authority (SHA) to deliver joined up services against the backdrop of the national NHS strategy. In the short term, there may be new HPSN services which could be of use to the SHA, particularly where they are part of joint teams sharing offices with Social Services. IT Services is currently pursuing these opportunities.

The scope and governance of the HPSN

The IT Services led Broadband Programme will ask a number of questions about potential for broadening HPSN. What is its scope in terms of services? Should the HPSN be expanded well beyond the Unisys contract to include services delivered by other HIOW organisations? Should this simply be a technical approach to connectivity of should the whole governance of HIOW public service broadband services be reviewed? Should HPSN be rebadged as the HIOW Public Services Network?

Small Businesses (SMEs) and Community Broadband

IT Services is working with the Economic Development Office (EDO) through Wired Wessex and SEEDA to stimulate the demand for and delivery of broadband services. It is supporting the Economic Development Office in proposing the acceptance of the BT offer of a partnership, which offers accelerated enabling of exchanges for broadband in exchange for the County's support in promoting broadband. However BT broadband will not reach 10-15% of rural homes and businesses. IT Services is also exploring alternative services with other suppliers and the opening up of the HPSN for use by rural communities.

Projects

Through IT Services the County Council is now involved in several projects aimed at expanding the range of broadband services in Hampshire. These are looking at alternative technologies, demand aggregation and the legal/contractual issues of using the HPSN to carry Internet traffic for SMEs and community use. Technology trials are being carried out in Gosport and discussions have started with Southern Electric in Winchester.

A pilot in Stockbridge is being planned to deliver Internet services to the public over the HPSN. The objective is to produce and test a Franchising model, which would enable ISPs to use the HPSN sites as Internet Points of Presence.

Information

The EDO has commissioned Wired Wessex to develop a Web site on behalf of the Council to provide a Hampshire focused source of information on Broadband. Behind this, there needs to be additional information on the Council's position on broadband and what it is doing, supported by additional up to date information on Hantsnet for Members and Officers to refer to. The EDO arranged a Hampshire Broadband Conference on 6 November to inform Local Authorities, communities and businesses, and launch the Hampshire Broadband Web site.

South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)

To date IT Services has been successful in obtaining grants from SEEDA for specific projects and IT Services is dedicating effort to keep abreast of the national and regional developments and to initiate a limited set of projects.

The Regional Development Agency has established a £5m pa fund to support infrastructure development and "take up" across the region. The County Council has successfully bid for funding, working closely with Wired Wessex as its partner, to assess opportunities to combine demand across the county and encourage both public and private investment. Some SEEDA projects have been referred to earlier but other include:

· Broadband Community Grants Scheme - to include the appointment of `Community Advisors' who will help steer communities in need of funding through the Scheme. (the County Council, through the EDO, is acting as the `accountable body', and will be commissioning delivery through Wired Wessex in the west of the region and Wired Sussex in the east) (see http://www.seeonline.net/broadband/CommunitySelfHelp/ );

· Broadband Road show - following example set by SWRDA/BRIC partnership (see www.broadbandshow.org.uk) to enable companies to build case studies of how broadband has improved their business - studies to form content for a website and series of events across the South East;

· Development of `Teleworking Centres';

· Wireless/aggregation project grants;

· Support for county-based partnerships and those with BT.

APPENDIX 2

Hampshire Broadband Forum

The Forum has been recently set up with the aim:

"to improve availability, access and take up of broadband services in Hampshire, by collaboration between public and private agencies working with local communities and businesses."

The objectives of the Forum are to:

· develop a county-wide infrastructure

· encourage alternative solutions in areas where telephone or cable not available

· promote the benefits of broadband

· build networks of "broadband champions" to work with local communities

· develop a systematic, co-ordinated approach to promotional events run by agency partners

· provide a comprehensive information resource through the Forum's website.

Membership is made up of representatives from:

· Local Authorities (EDO/IT);

· Business Link Wessex;

· HIOW Learning and Skills Council;

· CLBA;

· Industry Representation (BT, NTL, Unisys);

· SEEDA;

· Hampshire Economic Partnership;

· King Alfred's College;

· North Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry;

· Wired Wessex.

APPENDIX 3

List of Current County Council Partnerships supporting Broadband Development

Many partnerships in Hampshire exist - this list is believed to be the main ones:

Regional Aggregation Bodies (RABs)

The UK Government is creating nine `Regional Aggregation Bodies' and one National Co-ordinating and reporting Body to help facilitate the rapid rollout and adoption of broadband across the regions. These bodies will aggregate the broadband requirements of major UK public sector departments covering schools, libraries, universities, hospitals, GP surgeries, research facilities and local authorities. Their aim is to secure value for money by consolidating purchasing contracts, and to help promote greater broadband availability for private consumers and SMEs throughout the regions, particularly in rural and remote areas. Staff are currently being recruited.

Business Link Wessex

Business Link Wessex receives funding from the National Small Business Service to promote business use of e-business opportunities to develop new business and improve competitiveness.

Wired Wessex

This company, Limited by Guarantee, was set up by Business Link Wessex and the County Council's Economic Development Office to build growth and added value in the creative and media industries. Currently, it has 600 registered members. Because of the close connection between the needs of these businesses and high speed data connection/"content" development, the Company has developed a great deal of expertise in the needs of both business and local communities. As such, its consultancy services have been used by the County Council and other Local Authorities in Hampshire to:-

· help develop broadband strategies;

· identify gaps in provision;

· support local "champions" and action groups;

· work with private sector suppliers;

· study the potential for "aggregating" demand to encourage broadband investment;

· administer SEEDA funding for community advisers and grants.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight (HIOW) e-Government Partnership

The HIOW e-Government partnership Board, chaired by the Chief Executive of the County Council, has a vision of enhancing the quality of local services and the effectiveness of local democracy through the modernisation enabled by e-Government.

Currently funding by £2m of money from nation e-Government programmes, it has initiated a number of partnership projects which:

· Closer collaboration in the delivery of services to local communities, residents, businesses and visitors;

· Seamless access to public services through collaborative arrangement for contact centres and front office services joined-up information on the web and elsewhere and a comprehensive joint catalogue of public services;

· Stimulation of the local economy through joint procurement, extension of broadband services to the private sector and improved support for local business;

· Improved return on investment in ICT and e-Government.

A key component of this joint working is the Hampshire Public Services Network (HPSN) which aims to provide a comprehensive voice and data service to all public sector organisations in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight area. It will provide access to shared and secure service information and systems, support the development of shared `one stop shop' access, integrated directories of services and people, and much more.

Membership of the partnership is made up of representatives:

· Hampshire County Council;

· Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils;

· Isle of Wight Council;

· All 11 Hampshire District Councils;

· Hampshire Fire and Rescue;

· Hants and Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority;

· Hampshire Constabulary.

South East Forum for Electronic Government (SEFEG)

The South East Forum for Electronic Government (SEFEG) is an organisation representing all the Partnerships which exist in the South East region which have received funding from the Local Government Online and other e-Government oriented programmes. Membership effectively covers all the local authorities in the South

East region.

Its vision is to deliver e-enabled government and service changes through joint strategy and policy formation, and through shared work streams appropriate at a regional level. SEFEG aims to bridge the gap between national and local service delivery objectives by:

· Lobbying and Campaigning;

· Ensuring that the South East is represented on national and other relevant bodies;

· Ensuring that the Local Authority e-Partnerships are linking with relevant regional and sub regional organisations and are represented on regional and sub-regional bodies;

· Addressing national and regional strategic developments that benefit from a joint response;

· Negotiating jointly with suppliers to enable economies through joint purchasing power and consistent supply of goods and services across the region;

· Developing work streams of e-Government activity where there are clear benefits of joint working at a regional level;

· evaluating common solutions;

· Networking and exchanging information, and sharing learning across areas that are of mutual benefit and of common interest;

· Linking with national projects to facilitate two way communication;

· Disseminating information and learning across the regional e-Partnerships, both to e-Government representatives and wider;

· Sharing research and evaluation of current e-Government issues.

One of the project themes being explored by SEFEG, with funding from ODPM, is Broadband Aggregation aiming to:

· Audit of existing work/projects;

· Review of work to date to establish good practice & identify issues;

· Carry out gap analysis and identify future opportunities;

· Identify potential funding streams;

· Develop toolkits for application to range of models;

· Map next steps.

Hampshire Broadband Forum - see Appendix 2.

APPENDIX 4

Different County Council Approaches to Broadband Nationally

There are as many different approaches as there are Counties, and they are driven both by historical structures, EU public sector funding regulations and funding sources, as well as local needs. Examples include:-

Cornwall

Cornwall County Council by way of its objective 1 status has used substantial European funding for a £12m programme to subsidise "ADSL enablement" of BT telephone exchanges in advance of commercial viability, plus a variety of measures to stimulate awareness and demand amongst businesses and local communities.

Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire County Council has set up a `Broadband Lincolnshire' programme valued at £18m drawn from a combination of European funding (£8m), County Council (£6m) and National Grid for Learning (£4m). A Manager and support team of four advisers have been recruited to develop a county-wide broadband network, which will reach every part of the county, and be an additional overlay where BT has ADSL enabled its exchanges. This has been combined with a business development programme, which provides £3m of grants to assist awareness and usage.

West Sussex

West Sussex County Council has used external consultants, 50% funded by the County Council and 50% by BT to draw up a strategy and action programme in order to:

· "exploit the opportunities of Broadband technologies in our county to improve local business productivity and profitability and to attract new investment as a result;

· ensure our county gains a competitive/positioning advantage over others".

The Strategy involved four major partners - the County Council, West Sussex Economic Partnership, Business Link for Sussex, BT and SEEDA. The total project value is £2.17m, of which the County Council contribution is £0.5m

East Sussex

East Sussex County Council (ESCC) is working towards a formal partnership with BT, and has already a variety of programmes in place:

· A `Broadband Project Board';

· The `Flexible Working Project' providing ESCC staff with home-based equipment to allow home working using broadband;

· The `e-Learning Foundation' to support the procurement of portable digital devices to be used by pupils in schools who may then take them home for study/homework etc;

· Target in their Public Service Agreement (PSA) to increase business take up of broadband over projected levels;

· `Broadband Experience Centre' in Hastings.

Kent

Kent County Council are taking a strong lead with their `connecting Kent' initiative. It specifically aims to coordinate interest between community groups and businesses. A web site exists to answers questions and supports broadband campaigns (see http://www.kent.gov.uk/coreinfo/broadband/home.html ), and to support the aim to `speed up and coordinate the roll out of broadband into Kent'. A downloadable detailed `Broadband in Kent' prospectus is available on line. Its vision is to "establish a Kent wide infrastructure available to all public agencies local businesses and residents. This single virtual network will be scalable with flexible capacity to meet fluctuating demands and high levels of availability".

APPENDIX 5

Proposed Hampshire County Council Broadband Policy Statement

Hampshire County Council recognises the potential of widely available broadband services to support its strategic aims for both the community and the economy in Hampshire. It is also aware of the risk that growing emphasis on electronic services - both commercial and public - set against a background of uneven availability of broadband services may lead to increasing disenfranchisement of communities and businesses, particularly in rural areas.

The Council is therefore committed to using its position of community leadership, as well as its existing investment in broadband infrastructure, to promote the take up and wider availability of affordable, high quality broadband services to communities, businesses and public service organisations in Hampshire.

To achieve these aims, the Council will:

· work in partnership with other public sector and business support organisations to reduce supply costs through aggregation of Broadband demand;

· promote the value of Broadband to businesses and the citizen through partnership between public and private agencies, local communities and businesses in collaboration with suppliers of Broadband services;

· work with suppliers in areas where infrastructure costs are uneconomic at present to combine public and private sector needs to provide sufficient demand to create a commercially sustainable Broadband service for the locality;

· seek the means to secure funding and delivery of broadband services where the market has failed to deliver an affordable or commercially sustainable service, provided that such intervention will not adversely affect the cost or performance of its own network or represent undue intervention in the market.

· support the coordination of the activities of community groups, business and suppliers in maximising the benefit of collaboration, building on existing partnerships, especially through the Hampshire Broadband Forum;

· work to attract private sector investment and deployment of new technology, led by the Economic Development Office, working in partnership with SEEDA and Business Link Wessex;

· exploit opportunities which broadband presents in meeting each of the County Council's strategic aims, both through its own activities and in support of others.

Implementation of this policy will require a strategic plan including a set of targets focused on availability and take-up over 5 years, aligned to Government targets, the aims of the County Council and national best practice; (the government's stated goal is for the UK to have the most extensive and competitive broadband market in the G8 by 2005).

An initial strategy and plan will be published for consultation by the end of the year, and presented for adoption and approval by the Council by the end of January. It will set out the opportunities for action directly by the Council (based on studies currently underway) and actions with partners. The plan will be flexible and capable of evolving to capture new technological solutions and adjustment to meet new service demands of the Council and the communities it serves.