Rural community fibre optic broadband project

　　The project involves delivering fibre to the home (FTTH) with cables stretching nearly 300km and connecting 1,452 households.

　　Fibre optic broadband is being rolled out in urban areas, but internet service providers consider it uneconomical to lay cables in rural areas.

　　"It's not that rural people don't have options, there's satellite and wireless for example, but the best option is optical fibre and rural people shouldn't be excluded from this," says Mrs Conder.

　　This is a huge project, which requires a lot of volunteers to make it work. Local farmers dig the trenches using their own machinery and provide up to £2m for materials. Other funding is being raised through the sale of shares.

　　Digging has only just begun, but the first houses could be connected in a matter of weeks.

　　Although it is not a requirement, most of those who want a connection have purchased B4RN shares at pound;1 each. Shares are non-transferable, but are withdrawable and only redeemable at par so there is no opportunity for a capital gain. However, they can attract annual interest and offer tax relief.

　　Installation will cost B4RN around pound;1,000 a household, with about 60% of that accounted for by materials rather than labour.

　　The cables usually laid by telecommunications companies are beneath roads and other infrastructure, which are not necessarily the most straightforward routes.

　　This is mostly because it is easier to get permission to lay cables under highways than to seek permission from many different landowners. B4RN is able cut some of these costs by directly negotiating with landowners for wayleaves.

　　Because many of the landowners are involved in the project and it is not for capital gain, getting their permission is not usually a problem.

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http://soptofiber.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-101.html