JULY 2016 UPDATE

Following a public meeting at Stisted village hall with representatives from BT, Superfast Essex and Essex County Council, we have further information from BT, please click here to view the official response.

LETTER FROM JAMES CLEVERLY M.P

MP reply 2016

FEBRUARY UPDATE 2016

After last month’s report – that work is not planned on completing our internet upgrade until summer of 2017 - I thought things might  lay quiet  for a little while.   But no – the Parish Council is eager to pursue every avenue to get our  village ‘fibre enabled’  and so our Parish Chairman Derek Burrell has written to  our MP James Cleverley and I have written to Kevin Bentley,  Essex County Councillor with responsibility for Superfast Essex   -  complaining that we feel badly let down.  I hope to report next month on the responses we receive.

 

Meantime – I would again urge those of you suffering slow internet - who have not already made some basic checks to see if equipment within the home is upto the job, – to do so now.  There are plenty of websites that will give you tips on checking and improving the performance of your computer and your internet speed. You could try www.broadbandchoices.co.uk

Also – if you have not already done so – go onto www.superfastessex.org site and register your interest for faster broadband!

Alan Reeder - Stisted Broadband Champion.

 

CALLING ALL BUSINESSES IN STISTED

In our efforts to upgrade to the superfast broadband network it would be useful if we could build a database of businesses in Stisted suffering from poor internet connection. If you would like to be included please contact the Parish Clerk at stistedparishcouncil@yahoo.co.uk with details of your location, problems incurred with poor internet, brief Business description and provider i.e BT, Sky, County Broadband etc.

This information can then be used to put forward our case to Superfast Essex.

Thank you. Stisted Parish Council.

 

PUBLISHED ON 20 JANUARY 2016

 

Digital toolkit and workshops to help small businesses work faster and smarter 

 

Superfast Essex is launching a series of free expert-led Digital Business Workshops and an online toolkit to help small businesses improve their digital know-how. 

The workshops will cover a range of topics including increasing online sales, attracting new customers, social media, blogging and the importance of Cloud-based systems. They are being hosted in partnership with the Eastern Enterprise Hub. 

The digital toolkit includes a Digital Health Check, to identify any areas where businesses can improve their digital expertise, and ‘Fast Tips’ download which provides information and advice around a range of digital developments, such as Cloud-based Services, Search Engine Optimisation and Social Media Marketing. 

The Superfast Essex broadband programme, co-ordinated by Essex County Council, is aiming to encourage businesses to make the most of superfast connectivity when it arrives.  Delivering practical digital skills workshops and the digital toolkit are another step towards this goal. 

Superfast broadband is set to transform the way businesses operate from enabling businesses to go global to reducing costs and increasing efficiency with Cloud-based services. 

Essex County Councillor Kevin Bentley, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Growth and Waste and Recycling, said: “There are many commercial advantages to having high speed broadband connectivity - the new resources on our Superfast Essex website will showcase some of the ways in which Essex businesses can benefit.  Improving broadband connectivity is one of Essex County Council’s priorities, to help local economic growth and improve the quality of life for the people of Essex.” 

Digby Chacksfield, CEO at the Eastern Enterprise Hub said: “We’re very pleased to be working with Superfast Essex to deliver these exciting and informative digital business workshops to small businesses in Essex. 

“These free workshops will enable Essex-based entrepreneurs to gain the required knowledge and support to further develop their business offerings, so that they are able to embrace the opportunities provided by being online.” 

Workshop participants will gain practical knowledge, combined with confidence and connections, to build their business and accelerate their growth by using broadband to its fullest. 

The free workshops will be taking place in the following locations across Essex: 

How to stay ahead of competitors online:

  • 25 February, Braintree
  • 3 March, Ongar

How to promote your business online:

  • 1 March, Takeley
  • 10 March, Maldon 
They are suitable for current Essex-based entrepreneurs, or individuals intending to set up a business in the near future.   

To find out more about the Digital Business Workshops, visit www.superfastessex.org/digitaltoolkit. 

Other information on business broadband, including a short film with David Bell, Essex Chair of The Federation of Small Businesses, and Essex County Councillor Kevin Bentley, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, and Waste & Recycling, on Broadband Improvements in Essex can be viewed by following this link www.superfastessex.org/forbusiness 

Find out the latest broadband rollout information for your area at www.superfastessex.org/maps. Anyone not covered by the Superfast Essex programme can register their demand for superfast broadband by completing the Make the Connection Survey at www.superfastessex.org/getinvolved.

 

STISTED BROADBAND - UPDATE JANUARY 2016

 It has been a very frustrating time – trying to get to the bottom of why BT/Openreach laid a fibre cable from Braintree into our village back in the summer of 2014 – only to leave it unconnected.

Our only option now – is to wait for SuperfastEssex to complete what BT started.

 

SuperfastEssex   (see their website www.superfastessex.org ) have told us that Stisted will be connected as part of their ‘phase2a’ programme – due to get under way in the summer of 2017.  They have declined to move us forward, despite a plea from our District and County Councillor – Lady Patricia Newton.  We will keep on the case - but realistically do not see much hope of an improvement in the time frame.

Alan Reeder – Stisted Broadband Champion.

 

JANUARY 2016

UK Government Satellite Broadband Scheme

The Superfast Essex programme team spoke about this scheme at the Parish Event last month. The Satellite Broadband Scheme is now live and open for applications. It has been introduced to help those with the slowest speeds access a basic broadband service of at least 2Mbps, and is the technology which has been identified to help those areas indicated on the Superfast Essex interactive map as due for ‘Non-fibre upgrade (minimum 2Mbps) by 2016’. Full details and the link to apply is available from this page on our website: www.superfastessex.org/satellite.

 

A press release has been issued to media today, and can be viewed on the Superfast Essex website here, so look out for coverage in your local press and please feel free to include any of this information in any of your local community publications, or on your community websites, or social media channels.

 

Fibre rollout halfway milestone – 60,000

The main fibre rollout has also now reached 60,000 homes and businesses, which means we have reached the halfway milestone for the overall fibre rollout programme (120,000 to be reached in Phase 1, 2a and 2b – Rural Challenge Project). If you haven’t been onto our website recently, you’ll be pleased to know we have now updated the interactive map and it now indicates the annual timescales for the Phase 2 rollout. Take a look at: www.superfastessex.org/maps.

 

Online enquiry form

We have also now introduced a new online form to help us handle enquiries, which you may have noticed on our website. By having the form, it will help us to ensure we have all the information necessary to investigate all the enquiries we receive and enable us to respond more quickly. The enquiry form is available from the ‘contact us’ link at the bottom of any page on our website, or from the main link available at this page: www.superfastessex.org/getinvolved. 

 

SEPTEMBER 2015

Currently Stisted is not in the roll out for superfast broadband phase 1. Superfast Essex has promised all areas not in the roll out a minimum of 2 mbps download speed, but many villagers are not getting anywhere near these speeds.

Stisted Parish Council appointed a representative to campaign on behalf of the village to gain these minimum speeds and gain inclusion in the roll out of fibre optic broadband as soon as possible, he has been working tirelessly liaising with BT and Superfast Essex for many months!

For further information and to join in the campaign for better broadband coverage in Stisted please click on the link below:

http://www.superfastessex.org/