Broadband – Community Match Funding Scheme

Hampshire County Council has launched a “Community Match Funding Scheme” for villages like Warnford which will not be covered by the Hampshire Superfast Broadband Programme. The scheme requires a significant number of people to join in a community application for their service to be upgraded and to agree to meet half the cost. Currently BT is the only authorised provider under the scheme. Provided the application meets the scheme criteria HCC will pay 50% of the cost (less VAT) of upgrading to “superfast broadband”.

Full details of the scheme are available at:

https://hampshirebroadband.s3.amazonaws.com/MediaCMFS/Community%20Match%20Funding%20Guide.pdf

Please read this as it answers a lot of the questions you may have.

This is an opportunity for Warnford to get its broadband service improved. If you are interested please email Derek Chapman. We will also use this page to answer questions (as far as we can). If we get twenty people prepared to put their names forward we will submit an application on behalf of the Parish.

Here are questions and answers so far:

Q1. If we don’t do this, how long before BT do it anyway?

A1. Warnford is not on any of the published plans and “Community Match Funding” is the way Hampshire has decided to allocate the small amount of money government has provided to cover the remaining areas. As to the longer term, who knows?

Q2. Aren’t other alternatives available?

A2. In some places in Warnford 4G coverage is said to be good enough to make a fixed link unnecessary. A company based at St Clairs Farm, Exton, is promoting a microwave link scheme but they need planning consent for a mast on Beacon Hill and to take advantage of it you would need a line of sight to the mast. There are other providers who would install a scheme for the village but they would not get the 50% match funding.

Q3. Is it worth looking at the alternative options even though they aren’t part funded? E.g. a mobile micro base station could give 4G coverage for a few hundred yards in all directions.

A3. This is undoubtedly feasible technically. Based on trials done by EE and publicised on the Internet you would probably need three or four low power base stations to cover the village without needing planning consent for a mast. There was a lot of publicity and interest in this approach as a solution for rural areas a couple of years ago, but the government’s “Mobile Infrastructure Project” failed to deliver and approaches to service providers don’t seem to be getting very far at present. However it remains a possibility.

Q4. Would we have to sign up to BT as an exclusive broadband supplier?

A4. Don’t know – will ask HCC and update when a response is received.

Q5. What speed are they offering? In the link, the guide says 24Mb is superfast broadband, however are they saying that is what we will all get? It normally doesn’t work like that and the speed drops as more people use it.

A5. If the scheme uses Fibre to Cabinet technology then you could expect the standard service that this provides – i.e. BT Infinity. Speeds will drop off depending on distance from the cabinet. Loss of speed in peak periods should be better than with an ADSL connection.

Q6. If we do fund this should those who are operating business, and therefore gain the most value, pay more than those for domestic use?

A6. We would have to ask local businesses first, if they want to join and second, whether they are prepared to make a higher contribution. That might depend on the nature of the business.

Q7. What happens if somebody wants to join later (after the scheme has been commissioned)? Do they have to make a contribution?

A7 Don’t know – will ask HCC and update when a response is received.