CLA and NFU agreement paves way for superfast rural broadband
The digital divide narrowed today (10 January) after the CLA and NFU finalised a new agreement that will bring rural broadband one step closer.
Superfast broadband has the potential to transform our most remote communities by opening up a world of new opportunities.
The new package of advisory wayleave payment rates and terms will mean not-for-profit or private companies looking to install the infrastructure needed for a community rural broadband network can work with farmers and landowners.
This will help government in its aim to roll out superfast broadband to rural and remote areas where the business case for previous broadband investment has been weak or, in the worst cases, non-existent.
CLA President Harry Cotterell said: “The importance of good rural broadband cannot be over-emphasised. It is essential for business, whether starting up or expanding, essential for education and research and an important communication tool for all rural communities.
“We are confident this wayleaves package will help secure consent for a broadband infrastructure to be rolled out to the final third of the country who still suffer with chronically poor broadband.”
NFU Vice President Adam Quinney said: “We know how increasingly important rural broadband connection is to farmers and those with diversified businesses.
“We very much hope that these wayleave agreements will help to deliver broadband to the rural areas which currently have poor, unreliable or non-existent broadband connection. Fast rural broadband is essential for our forward-thinking and dynamic farming industry.”
The CLA and NFU example agreements suggest payment rates for broadband apparatus that landowners can enter into with not-for-profit companies, or private companies wishing to install a community broadband network.
There could also be circumstances where a landowner wishes to waive payment in return for their own high-speed broadband connection to the network. The suggested rates and agreements will help to cut down the time and cost of negotiating wayleaves, making it easier and more cost effective to get the infrastructure for broadband put in place.
Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, Ed Vaizey said: “The publication of the CLA and NFU rural wayleave agreement is great news. It will go a long way to making our roll-out of rural broadband cheaper and quicker by reducing the cost and time taken in negotiating individual land access agreements, while providing certainty to communications providers and ensuring landowners receive appropriate compensation.”
