The Connecting Devon and Somerset Local Broadband Plan has been published and made available to the public.  It was submitted on April 26 to BDUK and in May the government committed to £31m worth of funding.

This will help deliver superfast broadband to rural Devon and Somerset and together with council and private sector contributions it should deliver an investment in excess of £100m.

The aim of the project is to deliver faster broadband for all by 2015 and superfast broadband for all by 2020.

The procurement process is under way, together with a state aid notification, which should see a contract awarded next year, with delivery starting soon after that.

Because of the ongoing procurement, some commercially sensitive material in the original document has been removed.

The original bidding guidance and application form may be of interest, both documents are available online:

Application for Spring 2011 Award Round funding
http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/BDUK_Local_Broadband_Template_Spring.pdf

Bidding guidance for Local Authorities and other local public bodies / Award Round Spring 2011
http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/BDUK_bidding_guide.pdf

Further advice on the BDUK funding model became available after the Bid deadline is available online:
BDUK Data Model Explanatory Notes, 6th July 201
http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/BDUK-Data-Model-Expalantory-Notes.pdf

On 16 August, Jeremy Hunt announced the allocation of funding to Local Authorities that have not previously been successful. This is an indication of funding, and requires local authorities to put together a successful Local Broadband Plan and to bid for the money. More details of that announcement and the allocations are available online:

£363 million to ‘take broadband to all’ in England and Scotland
http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/news_stories/8389.aspx

Connecting Somerset is funded by Somerset County Council, the South West of England Regional Development Agency (SWRDA), Mendip, Sedgemoor, Taunton Deane and West Somerset Councils, South Somerset Together, the European Social Fund and Business Link Somerset.

For further information, please contact :
David Wilford tel 01373 303004 mob 07790 774284 or Ron Dyson tel 01308 485707
Issued by The Aurora Partnership on behalf of Connecting Somerset