Press release: Rutland Telecom/The Conservative Party Technology Forum
Distribution: Local, trade and national media
Distribution date: 6th October 2010

THE CONSERVATIVES, RURAL BROADBAND AND THE BIG SOCIETY!

A case for creating The Big Society with next generation broadband was put forward at the Conservative Party Conference Technology Forum in Birmingham on Sunday by Mark Melluish co-director of rural broadband pioneer Rutland Telecom.
With no major public funding planned for the future, Mr Melluish’s emphasis was on communities doing it for themselves often with the help of local businesses, which can play a key role in raising funds.
He also talked about the need to cut red tape and bureaucracy if public cash should become available to help isolated towns and villages get projects off the ground quickly.
Mr Melluish said: “If The Big Society is going to be a success then the devolution of utility control such as high-speed broadband to a local level would be a good start.
“By implementing a next generation service, rural communities begin to open up other possibilities both economically and socially through a 40 Mbps connection to the rest of the world.
“Also the process of people uniting under a common cause and implementing these strategies often creates a know-how and enthusiasm to embrace other community projects.”

Rutland Telecom also called for the ability for smaller providers to work in cooperation with BT to connect isolated communities, reduce costs and provide an effective UK network.
The Conservative Party Technology Forum was chaired by Adam Afriyie MP along with fellow speakers Gabrielle Gauthey, executive vice-president public affairs, Alcatel Lucent and Therese Coffey MP.

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