New Petitions

I quote, with his permission, words that Andrew Charlesworth, the editor of "PC Advisor" magazine, wrote in February 2004:"Just as the free flow of goods along transport links created wealth in the 19th and 20th centuries, the free flow of information through the telecoms infrastructure will create wealth in the 21st. As workers and consumers, we need broadband internet access in the same way as we need roads".In my petition, I have called for action to advance broadband availability across our country. Some six months ago, I knew virtually nothing about broadband. The frustrating inability to get broadband in my extremely rural area in south-west Scotland in order to continue with my DNA research project led me to set up a community campaign. Now, after a lot of work, we are to have a managed community wireless network served by a satellite link that covers two towns and their outlying areas. It will be cost effective and technically sound. The involvement with that campaign made me aware that there were communities all over Scotland that wanted broadband but were unable to make sense of the many hoops that they had to jump through. The response to my petition indicates the strength of that community frustration right across Scotland and beyond. I believe that the case is made for something to be done now and I hope that members will want to know what I propose. There are four points. First, the Executive needs a much more innovative and imaginative approach to publicising all aspects of broadband. The television message about broadband that is currently being screened is generally seen as dreadful and quite ineffective. Many people—even those with computers—are still totally unaware of its benefits or of the alternative ways in which they can get it. Secondly, British Telecommunications must be dissuaded from exploiting its monopoly hold on the network and incentivised to work with other service providers to bring broadband in by means other than sole utilisation of the BT network. An example would be reducing costs dramatically on leased lines to wireless network users, which would allow competitive community networks to operate where satellite or cable services are not suitable solutions. Thirdly, communities that want broadband must be given simple but effective advice on how they can get it. That would include advice on how to assess the service options, how to gather support and how to implement fully managed systems. At present, such advice is pretty much not available or is poorly communicated when it is available. We need to discourage potential and existing users from viewing BT as the sole provider, as registering with BT simply reduces the choice and competition factors. In addition, BT seems wholly unable to respond to the technical challenge within reasonable timeframes. Finally, the Scottish Parliament should present a more united front in declaring its support for broadband. It must actively encourage and educate local authorities and institutions in the added value brought by broadband. The Executive should give grant funding or tax incentives to enable all broadband service providers to tap into new technology and develop networks reaching out to the farthest-flung communities and dwelling places. That funding must be specific and focused, with clearly understood and defined outcomes within defined timescales. The objective should be to ensure that broadband can be offered by mid-2005 to all Scottish communities seeking it. That can be achieved, but it needs a mindset change in some areas to achieve it.

I am glad that you raised that point. I am not in any way technically capable of assessing the rights and wrongs of all the systems. I come from a background that did not have broadband and I have learned a little bit about it.Everything that I see and read as a layman leads me to believe that wireless is the way forward. It is interesting to note that Japan has now moved to having more wireless networks than cable or land-line networks. Our area has chosen wireless because it best suits our needs, quite apart from the problems that we might foresee in hitting BT's trigger figures—some of which do not exist.I am a keen advocate of wireless networks, but I believe that they need a helping hand. That is why I mentioned leased lines in my submission.

I hear where you are coming from, but I will take broadband any way I can get it. If wireless networks are the way to go, then I will go that way. If BT had been willing to put broadband in, I would not be here today. I am not here to advise one technical solution or another; I am here as a simple guy from a rural area who sees no hope of getting broadband. At the moment, we cannot get digital television or radio. The one way in which we could compete is with broadband. I do not care where it comes from or who provides it; I just want broadband, now.

My thoughts are based on what I read, hear and learn. The technology is advancing so quickly nowadays that, whereas six months ago we were talking about a wireless network needing a 2km to 3km range, equipment is now available that can go much further than that—up to 10km or 12km.We are also probably not making as much use of leased lines as we could, mainly because of the prohibitive cost of something like £15,000 to provide a leased line that would serve a community with broadband. I do not believe that we are tackling such issues in a joined-up way to assess the best value for each community. There are solutions available now in the technical marketplace, but we have to be much more conscious of them.

I am pleased to be able to say that, after a hard campaign, the Newton Stewart area has achieved the BT trigger figure of 500. The problem is that BT cannot install broadband for another six to eight months, by which time Newton Stewart could have had a satellite wireless network.I am also pleased to tell the committee that over the next fortnight a wireless broadband system will begin to operate in Moffat. Other areas such as Sanquhar and Kirkconnel in the south-west, which is my principal concern, are not too far behind with wireless networks.We have also set up a south-west Scotland users group to try and help these small communities, because there is no format for people who want to set up a network. One either goes through BT or does what I did and finds out how to get a network installed. We want to help these communities, which is what the users group has been set up to do.

You have made two points that I must respond to. First, I have suspicions that BT is cherry picking areas where wireless technology might otherwise come in. There have been some indications that in areas in which people have sought to set up wireless networks BT has immediately found that the trigger figure has come down. Indeed, the gentleman in England who supports a project called RABBIT—or remote area broadband inclusion trial—which is introducing broadband across the rural areas of England, and who advises the Department of Trade and Industry on the matter has commented that, as soon as someone mentions a wireless network in a certain area, BT comes in and there is suddenly a change in the trigger figure.I think that competition is healthy. I also think that BT cannot do everything and that it needs to be encouraged to reach areas that it does not reach. However, I am concerned that BT's alternative technologies are not being sufficiently explored. For example, it is only just now considering wireless networks. Its exchange activate scheme, which is an alternative to broadband, has many weak points and gives a not very satisfactory service to a limited number of viewers. As a result, I am concerned that we are not getting the message across to BT that it needs to do more. I do not think that we can rely on it.