Broadband For Milton Keynes

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Broadband ForMilton Keynes
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Agenda

• Introduction
• Why Milton Keynes has broadband issues?
• Why is this such a BIG problem?
• What does the Government need to do?
• Summary

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Introduction

• Milton Keynes has broadband problems
• Milton Keynes Broadband Action Group represents
  around 1000 households
• Our members joined as they have
• No broadband at all
• Limited bandwidth to 512kbps

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Why we have broadband issues?

• 1970s Local Loop Telephony Infrastructure
• BT laid thin copper wire
• ADSL requires thicker gauge cable
• Long Cable runs
• Grid system often resulted in 3 sides of a square
  roll out
• 5 km is very common in Milton Keynes
• ADSL requires shorter cable runs up to 5 km
• Cable TV System
• Old analogue technology begun in late 1970s
• Cannot support digital cable TV, telephony or
  internet
• NTL will not talk to us position is unknown
• Digital cable TV impossible on this system

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Areas affected by poor provision of BB
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Why is this problem so BIG 1?

• Local loop unbundling is no solution
• Transfer of ownership of problem from A to B
• BT 21st Century Network
• This is exchange to exchange technology
• Exchange to the home will rely on old copper wire
• Milton Keynes Council WiMAX solution
• May not work for dense urban environments
• WiMAX radio frequencies not yet approved
• Freeview not a good solution for digital TV
• MK is a fringe area many people cannot receive
• A new transmitter would interfere with existing
  transmitters
• Insufficient spectrum available for new
  transmitter

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Why is this problem so BIG 2?

• MK is the fastest growing town in the UK
• MK needs fast reliable broadband
• Bandwidth will NEED to increase
• MK needs robust digital TV provision over cable
• Business expansion will falter without broadband
• Expansion areas may get better broadband
• Current MK zones will remain sick
• Other South East towns way ahead of MK
• Telecommuting impossible for many in MK
• ODPMs Sustainable Communities Plan under threat
• Small Businesses
• ADSL is the only affordable solution

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What does the government need to do?

• MK needs a roadmap for the future
• Broadband
• Local loop improvements
• Digital Cable (MK has no provision)
• Wireless
• Digital TV provision
• Government can facilitate this roadmap
• Commercial competition could implement it
• DCMS must issue a Ministerial Order
• EP/MKP?
• SEEDA?
• GOSE?
• Etc?

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Summary

• Broadband
• ADSL is patchy
• Cable does not exist
• Digital TV
• MK is a fringe area
• Additional transmitters not the answer
• Digital cable infrastructure not in place
• Government can help
• We need a roadmap to better connectivity
• DCMS must direct the right agency to take the lead

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Broadband ForMilton Keynes