Following an extended procurement process and careful evaluation of the latest bid , the Kyles Community Broadband (KCB) Board has decided to end its community broadband procurement. It was confirmed that the submitted bid had not been able to meet all of the state aid rules required by the regulator BDUK, and there were several further risks to the community project.
The community has worked hard with partners and commercial suppliers to explore the options to develop a future-proofed, viable community broadband network. However, the Board considered that the risks to the community were too high in:
- achieving the coverage required,
- the potential for increased costs of delivery,
- refreshing the technology in the longer term.
The digital landscape has changed significantly since we first started this journey a number of years ago, and we have learned a lot about the technical challenges of delivering equitable broadband infrastructure to rural areas.
Following the decision last week, the Board met with the Scottish Government to discuss next steps. We have accepted an offer for Kyles to be included in the R100 broadband procurement.
The R100 procurement is already at an advanced stage and the Scottish Government has agreed to incentivise delivery in the Kyles area by giving premises a higher weighting within the evaluation criteria. This is given to encourage build in communities with no fibre infrastructure – in effect, the three short-listed R100 bidders can gain a higher score if they extend coverage to these premises.
While there can be no guarantees that this will deliver a specific level of coverage, it does make our community attractive to the bidders who will supply their plans prior to the R100 lots being selected and contracts signed in 2019.
In the event that any premises aren’t reached through the main lots, the Scottish Government has agreed that these will be eligible for public subsidy to extend superfast access through the so-called Aligned Interventions phase. They are committed to working closely with the Kyles community, with the aim of prioritising any remaining premises as part of this phase.
We have no regrets about our efforts to explore a community solution. There is now a good opportunity to link into a mainstream solution, and we believe this presents a better long term option.
Lastly, as representatives of the Kyles area through the Community Interest Company, the board will leverage the contacts and experience we have accumulated over the last 5 years to remain engaged with HIE and the Scottish Government to ensure our community receives the best possible deal for Superfast Broadband in the future.
For more information on R100 please click here.