There is £50m of extra commercial investment going on - so its possible but given the shouting from areas like TechCity in Shoreditch most is likely to go to London.

It might actually be possible that Openreach has now looked at take-up in VM areas and is deciding to carry on filling in the areas where VM are not as they get a better take-up.

If VM is in the area, then public money cannot be used, i.e. by having a second operator who has declared their presence via an Open Market Review public money is not allowed to be spent.

I would agree that is what it is intended for. However the evidence clearly shows they are using BDUK funds to provide "choice" in many areas there are already successful operators , so why not do the same for people who have VM available?

Usually BT are very keen to overbuild VM , especially with public money. Just ask Basingstoke council

In reply to a post by MCM:

Looks like we'll have wait for the 'review'

Which will probably bring you nothing given that you have VM available. BDUK funding is intended to help those that have no access to higher speed broadband, not to offer users a choice. Your best hope is that others on the cab don't have access to VM which could then possibly allow BDUK funding towards an upgrade.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

It might actually be possible that Openreach has now looked at take-up in VM areas and is deciding to carry on filling in the areas where VM are not as they get a better take-up.

If VM is in the area, then public money cannot be used, i.e. by having a second operator who has declared their presence via an Open Market Review public money is not allowed to be spent.

I think that makes sense, I think that's why BTOR where and when page for us and the remaining non fibred homes on our exchange are still saying "Under Review", they are possibly waiting to see whether VM gets planning permission for these areas or not for their cabinets and if they don't then hopefully they will progress onto finishing off our install.

There is no point wasting public money on a fibre install if everyone goes with the other guy, saying that if VM doesn't get planning permission, that will give BTOR approx. 508 homes to fibre up which are all using PCP Cabinet 24 and yeah I am aware that FTTP doesn't use cabinets

But like I said, I will now wait

Paul

Ask Basingstoke Council for a copy of the invoices they have paid out.

Overbuild areas should see a proportionate reduction in the gap funding, at least one council has this in its contract and has been confirmed that the amounts paid are varying on this basis.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

There is £50m of extra commercial investment going on - so its possible but given the shouting from areas like TechCity in Shoreditch most is likely to go to London.

It'll be nice to see what happens - but as you said Shoreditch and the like would seem to be a better fit than a few small cabinets in Birmingham.

It'll be nice to see what happens - but as you said Shoreditch and the like would seem to be a better fit than a few small cabinets in Birmingham.

Even with new unallocated public money it cannot be spent on upgrading your cabinet as you already have VM available. Any new money public money cannot be legally used to help those who have no access to fast broadband be that via VM, BT or any other supplier. The only exception being where some of the premises served by the cab have no access to VM.

Your only hope is for BT to upgrade the cab using their own money but for that to happen the upgrade BT requires the upgrade to be commercially viable and few small cabs are likely to meet that requirement.

Andrew was referring to 50m extra from a commercial budget so public money isn't the issue.