Broadband workshopping

In the afternoon, the conference moved to several parallell workshops. Of course, I chose the one about regional development and broadband. Flemming Just explained the advantages of broadband in peripheral communities. He is from the Esbjerg University of Southern Denmark and a member of the Vital Rural Area project's scientific group.

Mr Just directed the delegates to the website www.connectedcommunities.co.uk.
I was pleased to see, that the Scottish guys of that project had assessed the possibilities of broadband so well. Flemming Just said: "If all these amenities are to be used properly, IT skills are very important."
He produced a table of broadbandishness:


In the end, the acceptance and uptake of broadband depend on demand aggregation, political leadership, education and training, content production and development.

Someone in the public complained about the lack of quality internet access: "When the trees drop their leaves we have access, when they don't, we don't!"

Marga Waanders, mayor of the Dutch municipality of Dongeradeel, mentioned the Stedenlink lobby group, which acts on a European level. That is a typical urban lobby. She recommended a rural alternative for such a lobby. "We need this too!" she said.

Vince Muspratt complained about the slowness of his home internet connection. "I feel like I'm turning a wheel very slowly, while my computer cries please stop this maltreatment! I think that the cost of a normal glass fibre to the home connection, about € 1000, must not be the problem. This can be written off in 20 years, so that must be possible!"

The Danish section added: "Of course there is a very important role for politicians, that is very necessary. But they won't give support out of themselves. They will have to be pushed, informed, educated. The question is not which technology or at what cost, but about what kind of world we want to live in."

Give examples, start test projects, that is much more effective than just preaching all the good properties of broadband. Oh yes, and aggregating demand and more support from politicians.



Afterwards, Ms Waanders and Mr Just continued to discuss broadband issues.