There is No Final Third

Margaret Thatcher gave an interview back in 1987 that was much criticised in certain quarters by those who missed the actual meaning, that society is simply an abstract shorthand for people as individuals and families and communities working together – Building a Big Society even.

In this Age of Austerity, here is a handy money-saving idea for HM Government that puts several hundreds of millions of pounds back into the Public Purse, then available for more important purposes that subsidising broadband.

Surely this is sacrilege?!

Everyone knows the Final Third won’t get superfast broadband without Taxpayer intervention right?

WRONG.

Before the last General Election, the Conservative Party took an eminently sensible position as regards delivering better broadband for Britain at best value for Taxpayers Money, along the lines of:

Create the conditions conducive to investment, mandate shared access to BT ducts and poles and let the market have the opportunity to deliver until 2012 then review where any exceptional intervention might be required.

Getting best value for Taxpayers Money would indeed be a refreshing change where broadband is concerned, notwithstanding the successes that have been achieved.

- over the years the UK Taxpayer has seen £100M+ wasted on non-sustainable broadband projects, endless consultancy, mapping databases of need and precious little delivery of service to people, the thing that actually matters.

- [see http://www.catchwater.net/abc/rdaspend from 9 March 2007]

There is neither luxury of time nor Public Money available to entertain a repetition of such wasteful Quangocratic tendencies.

Now is the time for JFDI – Just Finally Do It – time to get NGA building without further delay.

The problem today is that the Final Third is defined by the declared investment intentions of BT, namely that BT is investing to some extent into improving services for 66% of the UK population.

This private sector investment by BT is to be welcomed.

What is required from BT is clarity as to where, on a location by location, postcode by postcode basis there is not going to be investment

This defines the Final Third and is an area where perhaps regulatory and competition intervention by OFCOM may prove helpful.

And provides investment certainty for new entrants with alternative business models to step up where BT fears to tread it seems.

The NextGenUs private sector proposition is that the natural monopoly that is NGA is best governed in the Community Interest, putting the customers interests ahead of shareholders, otherwise local communities will miss out on a golden opportunity to rebalance the terms of trade for telecommunications.

An option at least worth thinking about by any community that wants to find better ways to create a future proof open access 4th Utility fit for purpose for the rest of the 21st Century Investment in NGA by the private sector in the Final Third is also hindered by uncertainty around Government intentions as regards State Aid intervention.

The forthcoming BDUK Industry Day on 15 July will hopefully help to clarify these matters.

Bearing in mind the Age of Austerity we now find ourselves in as a society, then here is a simple mechanism to ensure best value for limited Taxpayer intervention:

ATFF – After The Fact Funding

Put Taxpayers money towards rewarding those projects most that deliver the most connected customers in any given locality e.g. Parish, District, County.

ATFF incentivizes and encourages those projects where private and community sectors are most prepared to share the risk and step up with their own money.

An additional benefit of rewarding results rather than promises of NGA Ubiquity is best value for Public Money and that can’t be bad.

Also posted on www.fibrestream.co.uk