CSW Broadband – Pre-Procurement Public Consultation

The CSW Broadband project aims to improve broadband speeds so that there is 100%coverage throughout the area at a minimum of 2Mbps and 90% coverage at superfast speeds (minimum 24Mbps). The project has now reached the pre-procurement phase and as one of the partnership authorities in the CSW Broadband project being led by Warwickshire County Council we are supporting the Public Consultation for the CSW Broadband Project.

This consultation is intended to inform interested parties of our intention to progress a notification of state aid.  It follows on from our previous Open Market Review, where commercial operators were invited to provide details of any formal investment plans for the proposed target areas over the next three years.  The results from this review have been used to establish the proposed intervention areas for the project set out in the consultation document.  This consultation provides an opportunity for broadband suppliers, residents and businesses to feed back on the proposed intervention areas, particularly in relation to:

• any broadband not- or slow-spots (i.e., areas unable to access minimum 2Mbps services) not included in the proposed intervention areas, or the reverse; i.e., locations listed as broadband not- or slow-spots, when 2Mbps or faster services are in fact available;
• any locations where the current availability of superfast (above 24Mbps) services as described in this document is known to be incorrect (i.e. areas listed as having superfast services but where these are in fact unavailable, or the reverse);
• any proposed intervention areas where plans are already in place to deliver minimum 2Mbps and/or superfast broadband services but these were not reported as part of the previous Open Market Review.

We invite responses from any broadband infrastructure and internet providers in our area. All responses (as detailed in the Public Consultation document) should be received by Wednesday 12^th December 2012.  Business and residents are also encouraged to complete our broadband surveys in addition to responding to this consultation.

Further details of the consultation and a copy of the consultation document can be found at http://www.cswbroadband.org.uk/suppliers/procurement/