Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Making rural broadband happen - as easy as ABC?

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 01 May 2003 18:13:06 -0400

-------- Original Message --------
From: "John Wilson" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Making rural broadband happen - as easy as ABC?

[ABC-UK broadband campaign; community wireless networks.- "In the same way
that CUT led to FRIACO and unmetered internet access, ABC's agenda is to
address the broadband digital divide and to find first mile solutions." -JW]

http://www.silicon.com/news/500016-500001/1/3960.html?nl=d20030501
Wed 30 April 2003 12:02PM BST
Making rural broadband happen - as easy as ABC?
New organisation on hand to offer advice to fat pipe have-nots

The challenge of bringing high-speed web access to the whole of Britain will
be taken up by a new organisation that is being set up by rural broadband
pioneers and internet campaigners.

Called ABC, the group aims to boost the rollout of broadband in remote and
rural areas and has a particular focus on wireless. It has already been
endorsed by the Broadband Stakeholder Group, and is expected to be formally
launched this summer.

One of ABC's founders is Lindsey Annison, who is a driving force behind
Edenfaster - a community wireless broadband network being created in
Cumbria.

Annison explained on Tuesday that the group was being created to help the
many thousands of people who are desperate for broadband, adding that since
Edenfaster began receiving publicity she had received literally thousands of
emails from individuals looking for help and advice.

"ABC aims to support people who are broadband champions in their local area,
and to get them out of my inbox," Annison said, speaking at a Wi-Fi event
organised by Ecademy.

Annison added that ABC hopes to hold a conference focusing on the issue of
"broadband in the regions" later this year.

Currently, at least 30 per cent of the UK population cannot get affordable
broadband because their local area is not served by BT's ADSL network or by
NTL or Telewest.

ABC is also meant to be a think tank for users as well as government and
industry, and hopes to develop "best practice" for the development of
Broadband Britain.

John Wilson, secretary of Arwain - a Welsh wireless broadband network - is
also a founder member of ABC, and he explained that individuals have a vital
role to play in driving broadband rollout.

"Community activists were early adopters of Wi-Fi and pioneered community
wireless networks. The first of these networks were free, but some of them -
such as Edenfaster and Arwain - are now maturing into commercial
propositions," Wilson said.

The other two founding members of ABC are Erol Ziya and Charlie Sands. Both
were previously involved with the Campaign for Unmetered Telecommunications
(CUT), a pressure group whose work led to the creation of the FRIACO tariff,
which lets ISPs offer unlimited narrowband surfing for a fixed monthly fee.

"In the same way that CUT led to FRIACO and unmetered internet access, ABC's
agenda is to address the broadband digital divide and to find first mile
solutions," explained Wilson.

ABC has not yet set up a website, but more information on Edenfaster can be
found here.

Graeme Wearden writes for ZDNet UK

Graeme Wearden

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