NFB passed a milestone at the end of January with the submission of a full business plan and grant application to DEFRA, the date having been moved from an original one in December. This is the only opportunity to apply directly for funding from the Rural Community Broadband Fund to deliver superfast broadband to the Northern Fells. Without funding and support this project simply won’t happen.
The Steering Group worked extremely hard to complete a robust funding application of some 100 pages, which had to include demographic and business breakdowns, economic analysis, marketing plan, full costings etc.; and we have been told to expect the results of the application at the end of March. We are very grateful for the advice and support from government in putting forward this application.
If the group is successful in its bid, it aims to access in the region of £500,000 of funding for the project. This will be vital if we are to succeed in being able to offer superfast broadband to every dwelling and business in the Northern Fells.
After the funding has been made available, we will be required to follow a procurement process to identify suppliers to set-up and manage the broadband network. We will then be able to confirm precisely how we will meet the challenge of making superfast broadband available to everyone.
Our aim is to reach even the most remote houses, businesses and farms and to have a minimum impact on the environment. The successful solution will require a mix of technologies including fibre, wireless and microwave.
During the procurement process a series of meetings will be held to discuss the options with the community, providing a forum for everyone to have their say.
We hope to begin roll-out of the network in the autumn of this year. Prior to that we may need to request information from residents to assist with the process, and we hope that you will support us in this respect.
If you know of anyone who hasn’t registered with us please share this information and encourage them to complete the registration form on our website.
Please refer to our website below to keep up to date on our progress, and do not hesitate to get in touch with our secretary if you have any queries.
www.northernfellsbroadband.co.uk
Kind Regards
Northern Fells Broadband
Near Howe
Mungrisdale
Penrith
Cumbria
CA11 0SH
Tel/Fax:- 01768 779 678
Mobile:- 07721 446 105
