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CBN Press Release
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The Community Broadband Network has moved into its second phase of development as an independent co-operative of local broadband projects and their supporters. CBN provides support for people setting up local broadband social enterprises in rural and urban areas. Originally CBN was set up under the wing of project partner ruralnet|uk. Ruralnet will continue to play a key role in CBN providing on-line technology and support and running the CBN DirectSupport mentoring service for rural communities.
Malcolm Corbett, CBN Manager commented, “From the outset of the project a key objective was that CBN would itself become a social enterprise. Ruralnet have played an invaluable role in getting CBN off the ground and will continue to provide operational support in the future. This evolution will allow community networks themselves to take more control over the future direction of CBN.”
Simon Berry, Executive Director of ruralnet|uk said, “We have been delighted to help get CBN to this stage of its development. Now is the right time for CBN to become a fully-fledged organisation with the full support of all its partners.”
Users of CBN services will experience no interruption of operations as the on-line forums and mentor support will continue as before. Since its launch at the start of 2004 more than 300 people have joined CBN to access expertise and share information and experience. Corbett estimates that there are now approximately 200 community broadband projects around the country.
CBN is planning to survey members as part of an assessment of future directions for the co-op. CBN believes that key to this will be helping to make it easier to set up and expand community networks through forms of social enterprise replication – possibly franchising – and the development of community-orientated broadband services. Many of the best-developed networks are experimenting with VOIP and multimedia applications. In early July nearly 30 people from community networks came together in a strategy day to discuss joint purchasing, replication and broadband services.
CBN also plans to develop a series of case studies to promote community broadband. This follows the successful promotion of Alston Cybermoor in an article in the Guardian newspaper in May.
The next major events that CBN is involved in are the Broadband Supplement at the ruralnet|uk conference on 13th and 14th October in Maidstone, followed by a workshop at the European Social Forum taking place in London, 15th-17th October and then the ABC conference in Scotland on 2nd and 3rd November.
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Notes to editors:
1.The Community Broadband Network was established following an initiative by former broadband minister Stephen Timms MP
2.CBN was founded by ruralnet|uk", The Phone Co-op, the Access to Broadband Campaign and Alston Cybermoor. It is registered as an Industrial & Provident Society co-operative enterprise.
3.CBN is funded by the DTI, DEFRA, Co-operative Action, the Countryside Agency and Cisco Systems. It also generates income from consultancy services.
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