From: Graham Long To: Councillor Andrew Leadbetter ; Keri Denton Cc: Steve Horner ; Michael Canham ; PARISH, Neil ; JENKINS, Timothy ; Paul Diviani ; Cllr Phillip Twiss ; John Cornish ; Richard Kallaway (Clayhidon Ch) Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2014 10:15 AMSubject: CDS OMR

Dear Andrew and Keri,

I note that the phase 2 SEP OMR has been published on the CDS website at:http://www.connectingdevonandsomerset.co.uk/further-information/omr-request/

When my Parish Councillor colleagues, Mike Canham, Steve Horner and I met with you two days ago, you made the point several times that you would be seeking to extend coverage provided by the phase 2 SEP investment to as close to 100% of properties in the two counties as you could possibly achieve and that you recognised that this would require additional investment which you would be seeking from the supplier(s) chosen via the ITT process.

Andrew: You even asked me "Do you not believe we want to achieve 100% Superfast Broadband Coverage?" when I questioned the likelihood of this being achieved.

Cllr David Hall of Somerset CC and CDS Board member has stated that the criteria for choosing phase 2 SEP Suppliers will be:(a) Their ability to deliver CDS's requirements within the tight timescales(b) The budget provided (c) The proportion of investment bidders are prepared to commit(d) The bidders ability to deliver proven technologies which deliver open access and wholesale solutions

Why then on the CDS webpage announcing the release of the OMR do you only state: "This funding will go towards extending superfast broadband to 95% of premises by the end of 2017"

In the OMR itself, the only reference to the coverage you are seeking to achieve with the upcoming ITT is: "We are seeking to deliver at least 95% superfast coverage by the end of 2017"

I put it to you that the words you used to describe your ambitions for the upcoming phase 2 SEP ITT round when we met with you two days ago, do not match the words used on the OMR page of your website or the words used in the OMR itself.

You are setting your suppliers expectations that "at least 95%" is good enough when you are telling residents in the two counties that you are seeking to reach 100%.

Why are you not saying "The funding will go towards extending superfast broadband to as close to 100% of premises as we are able to achieve"? Why are you setting your ambitions so low when you know that people in the 44,000

premises across the two counties currently declared as "Out of Programme" are getting evermore desperate for a fast broadband service. I repeat the words of the letter sent to all CDS Board members below and ask you to raise your ambitions in the way you describe them to potential phase 2 SEP suppliers.

Sincerely,Graham LongUpottery Parish CouncillorBlackdown Hills AONB Management Group Member on behalf of Otter & West ParishesTel: 01823 601382Mob: 07711 267697Email: grahamglong@gmail.com

An opportunity to make Superfast Broadband available to all properties in Devon & Somerset

Connecting Devon & Somerset is soon to issue an Invitation To Tender (ITT) to select supplier(s) for the next phase of Superfast Broadband deployment across Devon & Somerset. The current phase, contracted out to BT, is intended to make Superfast Broadband available to 90% of residential and business properties across the two counties. This leaves approximately 44,000 residential and business premises to be connected by the next phase of the project.

Connecting Devon & Somerset has secured the single biggest allocation of funding (£22.75M) from BDUK for the next phase but once matched with locally raised funding, this is expected to be sufficient take deployment to only 95% of premises across the two counties. Following meetings with CD&S officials, it is understood that the soon to be issued ITT for the next phase may indeed set a minimum threshold for potential suppliers of only 95% of properties.

This next phase should be viewed as a golden opportunity for CD&S to raise its ambition and to extend deployment to 100% of residential, business and commercial properties across the two counties, not just 95%.

This is a realistic ambition, simply requiring a procurement process that is genuinely open to new business models and to innovative technologies – and one that directly incentivises suppliers to respond to the ITT with 100% deployment solutions.

Those who live in areas declared as “Out of Programme” for Phase 1 do not know if they will be included in the next phase of deployment, if its coverage ambition is limited to 95%. This continued and protracted uncertainty is damaging for all

concerned and is wholly avoidable with a procurement process that invites and rewards 100% coverage solutions.

As a member of the Connecting Devon & Somerset Board, please ensure that supplier(s) selected for the next phase of broadband deployment in Devon & Somerset are offering a 100% Superfast Broadband deployment solution for the two counties and not 95%.