Impact case study database

Lancaster University’s research into the design and implementation of trustworthy data systems and its application to drainage and gully management has had significant impacts in three key areas: 1) on the working practices, business models and commercial success of the partner organisation InTouch Ltd.; 2) cost-savings through the introduction of more efficient monitoring systems for local authorities, contractors and Highways England resulting in improvements to local and national road infrastructure maintenance; and 3) the application of these systems to national rail infrastructure through collaborations with Network Rail.

4.1 Impact on the working practices, business models and commercial success of InTouch Ltd.

InTouch Ltd are a software development and telecom company based in Morecambe in the North West of England. Until the early 2000s, the company specialised in managed radio communications solutions for the construction industry but seeing a shift in their markets to more digital platforms, InTouch partnered with Lancaster University to innovate. That partnership has resulted in an entirely new area of business for InTouch in drainage asset management and flood prevention. The positive impact this partnership has had for both InTouch and the local economy was lauded by David Morris MP (Morecambe and Lunesdale), who stated that: “The benefit of having a world leading University on the doorstep facilitates SME’s such as InTouch Ltd to take advantage of this incredible resource to allow them to work in markets which they could not hope to achieve without them. InTouch Ltd is a fine example of a long-established business which needed to move with the times and move into being a research led business to be able to maintain and develop new markets.” He goes on to note how “Having a world leading solution to an ever-increasing flooding problem in the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency is exactly the type of business we strive for – high quality jobs, high quality solution and great opportunities for expansion” [5.1].

This “blossoming” partnership [5.1] has reached maturity within the audit period, resulting in the creation of SmartWater (2015) an innovative, market-leading drainage management and flood prevention solution. SmartWater uses IoT sensor technologies and real-time weather information to monitor gullies, predict flood risk and facilitate more proactive drainage maintenance. This shift in maintenance practice has seen a reduction in maintenance costs among key maintenance providers and clients of up to 50% [5.2].

InTouch has successfully taken SmartWater products to market and the company has seen significant growth as a consequence. During the REF impact period, InTouch expanded its workforce to accommodate for this strand of its business provision, hiring 13 highly skilled members of staff and restructuring a further 3 existing roles to support the management and rollout of related products and services between 2013 and 2021. The SmartWater system is responsible for the management of over 643,142 gullies and accounts for around 4.6% of all gully drains in the UK. The value of the company has grown by 65% between 2013 and 2020, and it now works with 22 local authorities and road maintenance contractors, with the list of clients continuing to grow [5.2]. John Walden, Managing Director of InTouch, sees a direct link between his company's success and its engagement with Lancaster University research: “Our collaboration with Lancaster University and highways maintenance companies such as Carillion, Amey and Balfour Beatty has totally transformed our company. We knew that if we were to take a long-term strategic look at the data and communications industry and predict the likely advances in innovation, we needed academic input and our working with Lancaster University in consortiums has helped to strengthen the long-term viability of the company. I’d urge ‘more small companies to take advantage of how universities have opened up their fantastic resources to businesses like ours” [5.2].

4.2 Cost-savings for local authorities, contractors and Highways England arising from SmartWater and related products.

a) Local Authorities and Maintenance Contractors

Thanks to the introduction of adaptive data monitoring and asset management products developed in partnership with Lancaster University, impacts have been realised by InTouch’s large and expanding client base. Drawing on data from across its portfolio, estimates suggest that the introduction of SmartWater results in average cost-savings of over 20% annually (and as high as 50%), including a reduction in callouts by 25%, and an estimated reduction in flood incidents by 20% [5.2, 5.6]. The deployment of these systems has helped local authorities and contractors to shift maintenance procedures from cyclical, annual cleansing to a more efficient and proactive approach, identifying and targeting specific gullies that are more prone to blockages. The system is able to learn and adapt to prevailing environmental conditions and thereby identify clusters of gullies that are at higher risk of flooding which can then be targeted with remedial work. For example, Knowsley MBC Highways & Transportation have stated that because of the introduction of SmartWater monitoring systems “we are now able to target the high-risk gullies with an efficiency-driven approach”. Similarly, the Asset Officer at Stirling Council has commented on how: *“The introduction of the InTouch Inspection software has improved the trust we have in our contractor, we now have the tools to see daily activity of the cleaning schedule and by viewing the photographs taken, we can reduce the number of on-site inspections of our gully assets. As a direct result of implementing this solution we have made a significant saving this year in emergency flooding callouts”* [5.3].

Local authorities have also commented on the long-term transformational impact SmartWater has had on the way they manage their drainage systems. In a recent Highways Infrastructure Asset Management report (2018), Plymouth City Council described how: “The SmartWater system produces focussed work schedules to target only those gullies that need attention, namely gullies that are blocked, [or] close to becoming blocked… In a first iteration of implementing the system, we would expect the three categories of gullies identified to equate to 20-25% of the gully stock based on empirical evidence of a number of years of research and implementation of this system in other local authorities. Subsequent iterations of the system should see the numbers of gullies that need to be targeted [for cleansing] reduce toward 10% and maybe even lower” [5.4]. Reducing the number of gully visits required, naturally reduces the overall cost of system cleansing.

The savings accrued from the implementation of the SmartWater system are significant. Bristol City Council have recorded a significant 80% reduction in the number of callouts due to flooding on its roads, a reduction in the prevalence of potholes due to reduced surface water, and the number of blocked gullies in the city are down from 18% to 5%. This has been realised in a fall in the budget required for highways flood prevention from GBP431,000 in 2014, to GBP150,000 in 2018, a reduction of 65.2% at a time when all local authorities are facing intense budgetary restraints [5.5].

SmartWater has also provided highways maintenance companies with a novel platform offering richer and more transparent information to their clients. This has improved trust relationships between local authorities and the companies they hire to conduct maintenance and ultimately helped them address the legal responsibility placed on them to manage highways flooding. One such maintenance company with multiple cleaning subcontracts was Carillion. In 2018, Carillion commented on the benefits arising from SmartWater in their “ability to build strong business partnerships” with local authorities and were committed to continue supporting the rollout of SmartWater technologies, and to “implement them further in different contracts” [5.7]. This work has continued under other contractors, including Amey and Balfour Beatty, who combined, maintain thousands of miles of road and rail across the UK. Amey have emulated the SmartWater solutions to develop their own related products, helping them achieve several notable contract deals, including one with Yorkshire Water worth GBP100million [5.8].

b) Highways England

Highways England, the UK government’s road operations and maintenance agency, has funded in-field trials of SmartWater gully sensor and wireless communication infrastructure on the M25 motorway to assess the environmental, economic and societal impacts of real-time drainage asset monitoring in known flood hotspot areas [5.2]. A second Highways England trial on the M6 Smart Motorway (J21-26) has been undertaken with 54 sensors deployed in the first 12 months, demonstrating the applicability of the technology in different environmental conditions and to different types of assets.

These trials have been reflected in UK wide policy. The Department for Transport created an initiative to link SMEs developing innovative solutions in the highways sector with a network of relevant agencies, organisations and local authorities as part of the Connected Places Catapult and this has fed into the work with InTouch Ltd. On the subject of gully management, Steve Berry OBE at Department for Transport has said, “Since 2016, the Department for Transport has been encouraging all highway authorities and the wider sector to adopt a risk-based approach to their maintenance service. We are also encouraging all those who maintain highways to adopt new and emerging technologies as part of their highway service. This should include consideration of new ideas, methods of working and innovation in order to drive greater efficiency.” He goes on to note *“SmartWater, developed by InTouch, in collaboration with Lancaster University, is one example of a real problem being solved by utilising a robust technology solution. The novel way of combining sensors, changing working patterns and large data analysis not only helps reduce risk and the number of flooding events, but also increases efficiency and can offer value for money”* [5.9].

InTouch have recently (2019-2020) partnered with The Highways Agency to carry out SmartWater trials on the M25. 55 sensors were integrated into existing smart lighting infrastructure to inform the cleaning regime of high value drainage assets. Positive results from the initial deployment has created confidence in the process and led to its wider implementation to include four junctions on the M6. The work has received positive comment from the Department of Transport “At the last two LCRIG (Local Council Roads Innovation Group) events, I was pleased to see the early adopters praising the SmartWater solution in their presentations and allowing the audience to understand the benefits that can be achieved using this solution” [5.9].

4.3 SmartWater technologies for Network Rail

Between 2017 and 2020 InTouch deployed SmartWater in two collaborative R&D projects with Network Rail (TrackWater [G5] and TrackWater2 **[G6]**). Network Rail's lead R&D Programme Manager stated "The first phase [TrackWater] went so well that we decided to do another phase funded entirely by us. TrackWater 2.0 is the second phase within Network Rail trialling SmartWater in three different regions at flood prone sites" [5.10]. The project has already seen improvements to drainage efficiency, reduced disruption to rail traffic and improved rail worker safety, as manual inspections of trackside catch-pits in hazardous 'red zones' were needed less frequently. [5.10]. The success of these trials has seen TrackWater shortlisted as one of only five projects (out of 130) to be presented as a leading R&D project for Network Rail, and was given publicity in Railway International, where it describes how “the use of real-time information and automation [promoted through the TrackWater project] will equip Network Rail with the ability to keep a tab on the rail infrastructure’s drainage system and mitigate drainage-related issues on the tracks” [5.11]. Application of this technology to the UK’s national rail network is ongoing, but Network Rail have committed to the next phases of its implementation in the coming years [5.10].

The breadth and depth of the impact of the micro:bit is significant; with the pocket-sized computer having helped to inspire more than 25 million students and teachers to learn digital creativity and computing skills to date.  BBC Director General, Tim Davie, said: “From the very beginning the BBC’s purpose has been to inform, educate and entertain – qualities which are all reflected in the micro:bit project. Since its launch through our ‘Make it Digital’ campaign, it has helped transform digital skills and learning. I have no doubt the updated and upgraded [V2] micro:bit will drive further innovation and creativity, both in the UK and around the world.” The following text outlines the scale of impact nationally and internationally, and the depth of the impact upon educational and industry practice.

4.1 Impacts on education, gender diversity and public understanding, following the launch of micro:bit

The micro:bit created direct educational and social impacts immediately after it was launched on 22nd March 2016, when it was used to open the London Stock Exchange. On the same day, a micro:bit was delivered free of charge to every year 7 student in England and Wales, every year 8 student in Northern Ireland and every S1 student in Scotland. 1 million devices were given away in total, with an estimated monetary value of GBP10 million.

Quantitative and qualitative data highlights the educational impact of the UK micro:bit rollout. Over 2 million micro:bit programs were written by schoolchildren and their teachers in the first six months. As was hoped, exemplar programs included creative, interdisciplinary, team-based projects that introduced students to solving real-world problems. Pupils at Rishworth School who developed a micro:bit based thermal sensor to log changes in temperature. The equipment was attached to a helium balloon and was launched 32km high to record temperatures in the stratosphere [5.1]. Six students at London’s Highgate School used the device to help people with autism recognize the emotional states of others by projecting emojis on micro:bit badges [5.1]. Hundreds of children used micro:bits to instrument the performance of their rocket powered entries to the Bloodhound SSC “race to the line” initiative. [5.1]

An independent commercial survey of 405 UK school children and their teachers (undertaken by Discovery Research Group) concluded that 86% of students said the micro:bit made Computer Science more interesting, 70% more girls said they would choose computing as a school subject after using the micro:bit and 85% of teachers agree it has made ICT/Computer Science more enjoyable for their students. [5.2a and b]

Public understanding was also impacted through the accompanying media campaign, headed by the BBC. The initial launch was covered by BBC News, The Guardian, Reuters and Bloomberg, among many other major outlets, with a combined readership of over 26 million people [5.3]. Extensive media coverage with household celebrities raised awareness of the importance of computer science and the micro:bit. This included Ronan Keating, who appeared with the device on billboards, and Dara O’Briain, who discussed the device on the Radio 2 breakfast show with Sara Cox. It was embedded and showcased in television shows including Strictly Come Dancing, The One Show (22nd March) and The Voice where it was used to help select the finalist. National ‘Make It Digital Roadshows’ took place in ten cities around the UK in the summer of 2015, with a combined footfall of approximately 100,000 people [3.2]. Public lectures were also delivered at UK and international educational conferences (Ravensbourne London, 19th Nov 2015 and Newcastle University, 6th July 2017, Lancaster University, 4th April 2017 and Barrow, 23rd November 2017), the Bluetooth SIG (online seminar, 2 June 2016), and the Microsoft Faculty Summit 2016 (July 13th, 2016, Redmond US). All of which, has contributed to the national and international rollout of the product and its wide-ranging successes to date.

4.2 micro:bit and its impact on education – nationally and internationally

In September 2016, the micro:bit began to extend its UK centric impacts to the rest of the world as the Micro:bit Educational Foundation (MEF) was established - a UK-based not for profit organization founded by the project partners (including Lancaster University). The micro:bit has since grown to a truly global scale. The micro:bit is now commercially available in over 70 countries, 17 languages, and at the time of writing, over 5 million micro:bits have been distributed globally, with an estimated 25 million teachers and students around the world using the micro:bit, and in the words of the CEO of the Micro:bit Educational foundation: “Lancaster University were a core partner in the development of the micro:bit runtime and the software editors. They also collaborated on specific aspects of the project with the BBC to deliver enhanced learning to students specifically working with Wellcome and the Bloodhound Project. It is safe to say that the project would not have been the success it was without the core role that the team at Lancaster University played.” [5.4b]. During school term times, over 1 million unique micro:bit sessions per month are typically recorded on the Microsoft MakeCode editor alone [5.4a]. MEF has also been the recipient of eight awards, including the Ed Tech Company of the Year at the UK Business Tech Awards in November 2020 and European winner of the MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge 2018 [5.8b].

As the impact of the UK micro:bit rollout was recognised further strategic national and international scale deployments took place. At the time of writing: more than 20,000 micro:bits are on offer in thousands of UK libraries, supporting children and families in disadvantaged areas across the country [5.5]; 64,287 micro:bits have been provided to students in Denmark across 1,447 schools as part of the ultra:bit programme [5.5]; 100,000 micro:bits were distributed to KidsCode Jeunesse (a bilingual national non-profit organization helping build long-term sustainable digital skill communities for Canadian children) to support the country’s government funded CanCode initiative in every province and territory across the country [5.6a]; The Icelandic government delivered a micro:bit to every 11/12 year old child in Iceland [5.6b]; The Croatian Academic and Research Network received 45,000 micro:bits for a national rollout to each Year 6 child in Croatia [5.6c]; Singapore’s Ministry of Education supported a national campaign to roll out more than 100,000 micro:bits in the country as part of its Digital Maker Programme [5.6d]. The British Council also adopted the micro:bit to support further international strategic initiatives including an aim to reach 1 million children, 22,500 teachers and 4,500 schools in the western Balkans by 2021 [5.7]. They also provide free access to the micro:bit for 175,000 children in Bangladesh through its Libraries Unlimited programme in the same timescale [5.8a].

The micro:bit is also used extensively to support education, outreach and research activities at leading HEIs in the UK and worldwide. Examples include Oxford’s Bare Metal micro:bit [5.9], UCL’s Computer Science induction [5.10], MIT’s Scratch Extension [5.11a and b], Manchester’s project Malawi [5.12] and the Laboratory for Playful computation at UC Boulder [5.13].

4.3 micro:bit enables a product ecosystem

The success of the micro:bit has prompted the creation of a global ecosystem of related products and accessories that both enrich educational experiences and bring commercial benefits to industry. There are 257 registered hardware product accessories for the micro:bit spanning 62 companies [5.14]. Over twelve books about the micro:bit have been published by third party authors. The CODAL/MakeCode software now also supports approximately thirty physical computing devices beyond the micro:bit, including products from industry leaders such as Adafruit, SparkFun, Arduino and the emerging MakeCode Arcade platform [5.4a], [5.15a and b]. Micro:bit also created impact through the enabling of further research projects including the GBP103,480 IoT4Kids project (EPSRC Grant no. EP/N023234/1 and EP/N02334X/1) and the GBP204,411 Energy in Schools project (UK BEIS funded).

4.4 The release of version 2 and the future of micro:bit

Lancaster continues to support and grow the legacy of the micro:bit as an active founding partner of the Micro:bit Educational Foundation, where it continues to lead on the CODAL device software, serve on the hardware advisory committee, and collaborate to support the micro:bit ecosystem as it evolves [5.4b]. In October 2020, the foundation announced the release of the micro:bit v2 [5.16]. This upgrade is designed to extend the scope of the micro:bit to also enable the foundations of machine learning and AI to be introduced to the next generation of computer scientists around the world.

Lancaster’s research led to the first wireless broadband service to a UK rural village in 2003, and the first high-speed broadband service to the same village, in 2010. The Wray Broadband Project went on to achieve significant attention ( BBC, Countryfile, One Show, and the Guardian) and recognition ( Queen’s Anniversary Prize, EPSRC Telling Tales of Engagement Prize). The impact has gone beyond internet connectivity for homes and farms in the rural North West of England, to cover thousands of properties across extended areas of England, Northern Ireland, and Wales, and has been imitated in other regions and countries, nationally and internationally. As Barry Forde MBE, CEO of B4RN has said of the contribution made by the Wray project to the early conception and subsequent success of B4RN: “ The research carried out by Lancaster University within Wray showed how communities could deploy technology in such a way that they were no longer dependent upon public assets for the realisation of broadband services. It also, critically, demonstrated the importance of community engagement and mobilisation – these were the differentiators that enabled connectivity to become affordable. This was a step change. For the first time, the Wray Broadband Project revealed how communities could be empowered to share, install and manage their own network infrastructure” [5.1a]. While co-founder, activist and volunteer, Chris Condor MBE, has stated that “None of this (B4RN’s success) would have been possible without Professor Race and his team whose research developed the underpinning ethos of community involvement that B4RN relies upon, as well as investigating possible technologies to use” [5.1b].

4.1 Impact on rural communities in the North West of England B4RN and the expansion of community network provision

Adapting the lessons learned in the Wray project, Barry Forde, Chris Condor, and a small team of volunteers began to expand this community-orientated approach to neighbouring villages and localities in Lancashire and West Yorkshire, and in 2013, registered B4RN (Broadband for the Rural North) as a company with the goal of achieving better connectivity for hundreds of communities and thousands of homes. As Barry Forde describes: “B4RN emerged organically from the learning that was embodied in the Wray project which had opened our eyes to the latent power and potential of communities working together to build, operate and own their own networks. We also learned that the only way to deliver future proof technology at scale was by fibre” [5.1a]. Following their 1,000^th property connection in 2015, they received a visit from HRH The Prince of Wales and subsequently both directors received MBEs in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

The B4RN network has proven to be not only innovative, but also a commercially sustainable business model for the implementation of enhanced broadband connectivity for areas and communities deemed outside the margins for profitability and accessibility by large internet providers. 2013 was the first year B4RN made significant impact, when it connected its first 300 properties, since then it has continued to grow exponentially. [5.4b] By the end of February 2019, for example, the B4RN network had expanded to 79 parish communities covering nearly 1,800 km² with 5,300 connected properties. On average, each community has achieved a 65% uptake with the total number increasing at the rate of around 150 new connections per month. By the close of 2020, B4RN’s coverage had expanded to over 90 parishes, covering an estimated 3,500 km², and connecting 7,000 properties in total. Local communities have invested a total of GBP5million in B4RN’s shares and loans, with over 2,300 shareholders in B4RN, 60 members of staff and boasts a net income of GBP2million [5.1a]. Their aim is to reach another 13,000 properties by 2021, to increase their footprint to 25,000 properties, and by 2025 to increase that footprint to over 100,000 properties with an annual turnover of GBP9-12million [5.2] and [5.1a].

4.2 Empowering communities and improving lives

The enhanced internet provision and community-orientated approach, pioneered by Race and colleagues through their research, has led to significant impact on communities and individuals that may not otherwise have happened, given the neglect of isolated rural areas by successive governments and internet providers. The benefits have been wide-ranging: to the economy, to education, to health and well-being, and to society.

Economic benefits and commercial opportunities: Enhanced internet speeds have benefited local businesses and made rural communities a more attractive place for investment. Cllr Stewart Young, Leader of Cumbria County Council, commented: “Groups such as B4RN are playing a vital role supporting business and residents in rural communities to gain access to high-speed, affordable and reliable digital connectivity” [5.4b]. B4RN enabled a seamless switch to homeworking in March 2020, but even before, its overall benefit to those who work whilst living in rural communities was apparent. A publisher and events promoter commented: “Thanks to a fast broadband connection I have moved my whole network on to a Cloud based server. This is not only much faster and saves many hours of waiting for downloads, uploads, and connections, but it allows for the digital distribution of products, and sharing of folders, which is more secure, more efficient, and more convenient. B4RN has transformed our business” [5.3]. Traditional rural businesses have also benefitted. A locum veterinary surgeon cited the advantages of being able to upload and download information without buffering and at lightning speed. “Veterinary telemedicine is in its infancy. Now we have a B4RN connection, online triage with photos/videos and advice is going to be feasible and possible.” A local milkman stated, “The internet (B4RN) has been fast and reliable, which the old connection wasn't, and this has helped massively with keeping up with the changing needs of our customers.” Small village shops have long been under threat and a shop owner commented that B4RN had enabled them to maintain contact with staff and customers and crucially to develop online sales and keep an income stream during COVID-19 restrictions [5.3].

Education: Improved speed and reliability of Internet access enables learning across the lifespan and is particularly beneficial for school-aged children. In April 2020, a partnership between B4RN and Zykel Communications brought ultra-fast broadband to 21 primary schools in the rural north of England [5.4c] enabling them to make use of the latest education technology and software, whilst teachers and students complete work online, attend virtual events, seminars, and workshops, and make use of cloud-based resources for the first time. This proved invaluable during the COVID-19 pandemic; one parent stated that without B4RN, online schooling would have been impossible during 2020. “Our B4RN connection was activated part way through lock down, prior to this my son wasn’t able to complete his maths tasks as the internet connection was too slow, his teacher was having to screenshot the questions and email them over to me so I could print them off. Since then, they have given my son online video literacy lessons to follow also, we physically would not have been able to do these on the previous connection.” A teacher added: “Having a flawless connection has meant online lessons are much less stressful, downloading work and uploading resources has been seamless and some of the material is enormous!” [5.3]

Health and Well-being: A strong factor in the initial desire to improve internet connectivity was the need to improve the provision of health and social services, making use of video calls, online prescriptions, and access to online information, which helped support the work of community health professionals. Commenting on the B4RN connection, a clinical lead for intensive care stated. “It has allowed us to work at home when appropriate but still maintain good quality work and information from patient records and particularly scans (which are data heavy) as well as important remote meetings with colleagues locally, nationally and internationally in ensuring the best clinical advice, management and latest information for managing COVID and other conditions. It has been so important to us that we had access to the most up to date publications and research mostly only accessible online and with fast, reliable access” [5.3].

Social cohesion: Access to better internet has helped improve social cohesion in rural areas, particularly for those who struggle with mobility or who live in remote locations. Vulnerable people are able to remain in touch with loved ones, neighbours, care workers and public services. The process of implementing B4RN reinvigorated and regenerated communities, alleviating loneliness and isolation, as its deployment depends on leveraging a community effort to make it affordable. Volunteers must acquire the skills to map the proposed coverage area, secure permissions to access neighbour’s land and create trenches to lay the plastic ducting, which holds fibre-optic cabling. Community fundraising drives, ‘dig days’, splicing and fusing sessions are an essential requirement. One volunteer said: “We didn’t just build the network; we own it and the core of volunteers working around each B4RN community champion quickly become local heroes. It has brought life and engagement back to our community. We know everyone again.” She goes on to state that “the main benefit is not really gigabit speeds. It is the community” [5.4a]. In response to COVID-19, B4RN facilitated the formation of volunteer support networks in isolated rural locations where help might otherwise have been very difficult to access. In Clapham, for example, a remote rural village with an elderly population in the Forest of Bowland, enhanced connectivity enabled the formation of ‘Clapham Cobra,’ a volunteer emergency response initiative mitigating the negative effects of isolation by sharing information, delivering supplies, and checking on vulnerable residents [5.4a].

4.3 Impact on rural communities nationally and internationally

Many other local authorities who are developing local high-speed broadband plans have adopted or replicated the B4RN model. Forde and Condor have acted as consultants on many of these [5.4a and b] B4RN’s series of “show and tell days” offered interested communities the chance to visit B4RN and gain an insight into the technical and practical hurdles that were first highlighted in the Wray Project. Thanks to this knowledge exchange, B4RN has gone on to inspire and train other projects. In addition to parishes in Cumbria, Lancashire and North Yorkshire, the B4RN model has now been adopted in the East of England in South Norfolk (B4SN) [5.5] with a further project underway at East Rushton, Nr, Norwich (BB4ER) [5.6]. There are ongoing projects in Cheshire (B4RN Cheshire) with plans to employ permanent staff; in Surrey (B4SH) [5.7]; Northumberland (B4AV); Derbyshire (Hucklow Net) [5.8]; and, in rural Nottinghamshire (F4RN) [5.9]. In 2017, following a visit to B4RN, a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly stated: “the Broadband for Northern Ireland (B4RNI) project wishes to pursue that model [B4RN]” [5.10]. In Scotland, the B4RN model was adopted by Balquhidder Community Broadband (2017) to bring connectivity to a remote area in the Trossachs [5.11].

4.4 Impact on national and international rural broadband policy and provision

Since 2014, B4RN has been considered ‘the fastest rural broadband service in the world’ and has been influential in both UK and international rural broadband policy. As part of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and drive to provide world-class digital connectivity across the country, B4RN was cited in a national infrastructure review (2018) to support greater investment in future telecoms infrastructure as an example of a “new and innovative business model” and highlighted as an example of a “community led fibre deployment model” [5.12]. In a recent parliamentary debate (2020), the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Matt Warman, stated that B4RN “does really great work and has been doing so for a number of years. It has a huge amount of expertise that I hope we can learn from when it comes to working across the country” [5.13]. Internationally, the European Commission has highlighted B4RN as an example of best practice in 2020 in its policy document The Broadband Handbook. This publication is part of the European Commission’s comprehensive Action Plan for Rural Broadband aiming to bring better broadband to rural areas of the EU [5.14].