Edenfaster, the pioneering community wireless broadband project featured in Online last month, has been awarded vital grant funding by the NorthWest Development Agency, the NWDA.
A total of £150,000 will be given by the agency meaning that, by Christmas, Edenfaster hopes to have around 10,000 people in the Dales, between Kirkby Stephen and Appleby, connected to a high-speed wireless broadband network.
"We are really pleased that the NWDA is supporting this innovative solution to the rural broadband problem." Lindsey Annison, project manager of Edenfaster, told Online today. "The potential impact on our community is huge."
Because the network is a local project, run by the community, Annison says there are plans already afoot to provide local services: "People are already very excited about the possible services we could develop. Everything from internet telephony providing free local phone calls to webcams in the fields looking over the sheep - LambCams!" Annison says.
Edenfaster plan on selling the access at £15 a month for home users, £35 for businesses - this for a connection where local services can be delivered at 11Mbps, and connections out to the internet at 2Mbps. Over twice as fast as common ADSL, for less than half the price.
Much of the cost of the network is dedicated to securing the internet connection. Edenfaster wants to allow parents and teachers the facility to control the internet access of their children, and protect everyone's data.
Tourists and vistors to the area will be able to connect to the network via a password bought as a scratch-card from local shops and pubs. With over 18 million tourists a year visiting the Lake District, Edenfaster sees the network as a good source of revenue for the community.
"In Appleby," says Annison, "we shall be setting up a broadband information centre, which will educate and promote the local community as to the benefits of broadband, new technologies and the use of broadband applications, and we will be employing two local people. This is especially vital in an area so hard hit by Foot and Mouth. Edenfaster will provide the opportunity to upskill the region."
Such is the success of the Edenfaster project, that the Department of Trade and Industry have invited the organisers to run a "Broadband Community Showcase" at the Building Broadband Britain conference on November 20 and 21 in Birimingham.
Edenfaster is not the only wireless project to get going recently. Kingsbridge in Devon has installed a wireless network, as has Alston. Cardiff's Arwain project is building a pilot network, and Bristol and London have established communities. There are also fledgling projects in Newport, Manchester, Penzance and Sutton.
