26/02/25 - RSN Seminar: Rural Connectivity

- To download the Agenda for this seminar click here

POST EVENT:

PRESENTATIONS

• Kerry Booth, Chief Executive, Rural Services Network, 'Welcome & Introduction to the topic of Rural Digital'

• George Gibson, Partnerships Director and Co-Founder, Streetwave and Matt Smith, Programme Manager, River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region, 'Understanding mobile connectivity in rural areas - A case study with Streetwave and the River Severn Partnership'

• Matilda Rogers, Head of Rural Connectivity, Department for Science Information and Technology (DSIT), 'A DSIT update: delivering comprehensive rural connectivity'

• ---

  Dan Gale, Digital Manager, Gloucestershire Rural Community Council, 'Increasing Digital Equity – one click at a time'

USEFUL LINKS FROM THE SESSION

Delivering for Rural Campaign
https://www.rsnonline.org.uk/winning-the-rural-vote

Chapter on Rural Digital Connectivity
https://rsnonline.org.uk/images/manifesto-2023/rural-digital-connectivity-chapter.pdf

Government plan to increase digital skills
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plan-to-increase-digital-skills-to-deliver-growth-and-opportunity-for-all

Digital Inclusion Action Plan
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67bdc3edb0d253f92e213c47/digital_inclusion_action_plan_first_steps.pdf

Digital connectivity articles featuring on the RSN website
https://www.rsnonline.org.uk/tag/rural-digital-connectivity

Rural Services All Party Parliamentary Group
https://www.rsnonline.org.uk/category/appg

Government Plan for Change
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6751af4719e0c816d18d1df3/Plan_for_Change.pdf

Potential Value of the Rural Economy Research
https://rsnonline.org.uk/rural-economy-a-sleeping-giant-worth-19-billion

Good Things Foundation
https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/

Digital Poverty Alliance
https://digitalpovertyalliance.org/

OFCOM Connected Nations Reports
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/infrastructure-research/

Mobile Coverage Obligations
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/cellular-coverage/

Key Stats

1. The average worker loses 47 hours of productivity a year due to poor mobile coverage: https://smallbusiness.co.uk/firms-lose-19bn-a-year-due-to-poor-mobile-networks-2562257/
2. This productivity is only applied to the working population of each council: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9366/+ https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021
3. The value of this lost time is valued at the median hourly wage of £16.37: https://www.statista.com/statistics/280687/full-time-hourly-wage-uk/

Project Gigabit
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/project-gigabit-uk-gigabit-programme

thinkbroadband
https://www.thinkbroadband.com/

Shared Rural Network
https://srn.org.uk/

Rural Connectivity Accelerator
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rural-connectivity-accelerator-programme-projects

Alpha Trials
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/very-hard-to-reach-premises-alpha-trials

Satellite Communications
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/satellite-communications-to-improve-connectivity-in-remote-areas

DAISI project
https://www.grcc.org.uk/digital-inclusion-accessibility-/digital-inclusion-accessibility-

GRCC Charity hopes to remove rural 'digital poverty'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c30pgdv558qo

Elderly villagers are taught how to use smartphones
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3w55wzx1eo

Facebook link on GRCC Digital & Technology Inclusion Social Prescribing
https://www.facebook.com/www.cotswoldmedicalpractice.nhs.uk/photos/unlock-your-digital-potential-with-grccwere-excited-to-share-that-gloucestershir/599930709225326/?_rdr

RUSTIK Project
https://www.grcc.org.uk/digital-inclusion-accessibility-/rustik

ACORN Project
https://www.grcc.org.uk/digital-inclusion-accessibility-/acorn

GRCC written evidence to EFRA Committee on rural mental health including digital inclusion
https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1627/rural-mental-health/publications/written-evidence/

Digital Champions
https://www.mobileuk.org/digital-champions

Notes from the seminar can be downloaded by clicking below: