Latest News
Marham Jubilee Games
19/04/12
The Say Yes team will at the Marham Jubilee Games on Friday 20 April to celebrate the opening of a new Multi Use Games Area and new play equipment. As well as an opening ceremony there will be a school sports tournament and an award ceremony. Refreshments will be on sale and the event runs from 10am-2.30pm.
Location: Coronation Playing Field, The Street, Marham PE33 9HP
Next steps for Say Yes
02/04/12
Thanks to everyone who has signed up to the Say Yes campaign over the past two and a half months. We now have over 13,500 households and businesses who have endorsed the county’s urgent need for better broadband, and this will continue to rise in coming days as paper forms that have been received are entered onto the website.
The Better Broadband for Norfolk team has been working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to help create a “national framework contract” which will help speed up the process to appoint a private sector partner for the Norfolk project.
As soon as the national framework is announced later this month by DCMS, the agreed framework suppliers will be asked to bid for the contract to become our project partner in Norfolk. This will involve them creating a detailed implementation plan and description of the technical solution to enable maximum broadband coverage and speed for Norfolk. Norfolk County Council will then choose its partner, with the contract expected to be awarded in the summer. It is anticipated that installation of the better broadband infrastructure will begin in early 2013.
We're still collecting yeses to better broadband as it's still really important for us and our eventual partner in the project to have as much information as possible about the broadband demand that exists in Norfolk. So please do register your interest if you haven't already done so.
5 days to go!
27/03/12
We're urging the people of Norfolk to grasp their opportunity to end years of broadband woe for thousands of Norfolk homes and businesses as “crunch time” arrives.
Read the EDP article.
Punters race to back broadband campaign
19/03/12
Thanks to everyone at Fakenham races on Friday for supporting the Say Yes campaign. More than 100 punters found time between live racing to sign up to the campaign and help spread the word.
The last of six races at the meeting on Friday was named "Say Yes to Better Broadband CONDITIONAL Jockeys' Maiden Hurdle".
The results for the race were as follows:
11 Wom 33/1
2 Archie Rice 6/1
10 Wayward Glance 9/4
11 Ran
Campaign hits the 11,000 mark
19/03/12
The Say Yes to better broadband campaign has hit another milestone by reaching 11,000 registrations!
Thank you to all but help keep spreading the word!
Say Yes heads to the races!
15/03/12
It's race day tomorrow at Fakenham races for the Say Yes to better broadband campaign.
The last of the six races at the National Hunt meeting on Friday afternoon (16 March) will be named the “Say Yes to Better Broadband Conditional Jockeys’ Maiden Hurdle” to help spur on more registrations for the 10,000 plus campaign.
For more info on the race check out EDP and for info on the racecourse click here
10,000 now registered
05/03/12
Thank you!
We've now hit 10,000 registrations for better broadband in Norfolk. It's been less than two months since the campaign was launched and since then the numbers have been growing and growing with more and more people and Norfolk businesses registering their interest.
Thank you to everyone and please keep spreading the word.
Also make sure you like the campaign's facebook page by clicking here
King's Lynn here we come!
02/03/12
The better broadband team will be at the Vancouver Centre in King's Lynn from 10.30am - 2.30pm this Saturday! Make sure you pop by to sign up and grab some freebies!
EDP: Norfolk MPs take broadband campaign to Westminster
24/02/12
Norfolk’s MPs have joined forces to take the EDP-backed Say Yes to Better Broadband campaign to Westminster.
Read EDP article
EDP: Norfolk Chamber of Commerce backs broadband campaign
24/02/12
Norfolk Chamber of Commerce members have demonstrated their wholehearted support for the EDP-backed Say Yes to Better Broadband campaign.
Read EDP article
West Norfolk Chamber's broadband plea
22/02/12
Members of West Norfolk Chamber of Commerce have thrown their support behind the better broadband campaign. Check out today's EDP for full coverage.
Baa broadband
22/02/12
STOP PRESS Wroxham Barns Lambs sign up to better broadband. Check out EDP on line for full story.
Web banners now available!
09/02/12
Help us get better broadband even quicker! Download one of the web banners from our toolkit page and place on your blog or website - don't forget to add a link to our home page www.norfolk.gov.uk/sayyesnorfolk
Don't forget you could win a laptop!
09/02/12
Everyone who registers their interest for better broadband in Norfolk will be entered into a free prize draw to win a laptop!
Three laptops are up for grabs!
To read the terms and conditions visit the toolkit page or click here
Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Business Events
08/02/12
Our team of 'Say Yes to better broadband' champions will be heading out this month to a range of business events run by the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.
If your business hasn't yet signed up to the broadband campaign (or you just want to know more!) speak to the team at the following events:
• Business Breakfast Great Yarmouth – Imperial Hotel, 9th Feb 7:45am-9:30am
• High Five Lunch West Norfolk – Congham Hall, 21st Feb, 12pm-2pm
• Business Breakfast Norwich – Dunston Hall, 23 Feb, 7:45am-9:30am
Better broadband team heads to Great Yarmouth
07/02/12
The better broadband team will be hitting the road again this weekend to encourage more people to 'Say Yes to better broadband in Norfolk' - next stop is Market Gates in Great Yarmouth on Saturday 11 February. Visit the team at their stand outside Wilkinsons.
Please spread the word and pop down and pick up some freebies!
Win a laptop!
27/01/12
Great news - everyone who registers their interest for better broadband in Norfolk will be entered into a free prize draw to win a laptop!
Three laptops are up for grabs!
To read the terms and conditions visit the toolkit page or click here
Silver surfers back better broadband
20/01/12
Read Chris Hill's article today in the Eastern Daily Press Today (EDP) (page 25) on the 'silver surfers' and The Archdeacon of Norwich who have added their support to the better broadband campaign.
Say Yes campaign to visit Castle Mall
18/01/12
The 'Say Yes to better broadband' team will be at Castle Mall in Norwich on Saturday 28 January all day encouraging people and businesses to sign up to the campaign.
Please spread the word and pop down and pick up some freebies!
Thank you!
13/01/12
A big thank you to everyone who has so far registered their interest for better broadband. Since the launch on Wednesday nearly 3,000 people in Norfolk have signed up – but we need more! We need tens of thousands of people to register to ensure we get the best broadband for Norfolk. That would mean no more slow dial-ups, no streaming issues when listening to radio or TV on your PCs and importantly, better broadband means Norfolk businesses will be more successful and create more job opportunities.
So please, whether you have already signed up or not please email everyone the website and let’s get better broadband for Norfolk, once and for all.
Say Yes and help the County Council get better broadband for Norfolk’s residents and businesses
11/01/12
Next year will see the dawn of a new era for Norfolk, as the aims of the County Council’s Better Broadband for Norfolk project - broadband access across the whole of the county and superfast speeds for as many as possible - will start to be realised.
In order to make this happen, Norfolk County Council is now asking residents and businesspeople to register their interest in receiving broadband services through the project. This will mean the council will be able to demonstrate the demand that exists in Norfolk and will help put it in the strongest position to secure the right private sector partner and get the best deal for the county.
The council is launching its ‘Say Yes to Better Broadband’ campaign today (Wednesday, 11 January) and is hoping thousands of people across the county who are disadvantaged by slow or no broadband access will sign up. There is no obligation in registering an interest through the campaign and the greater demand the council can demonstrate now, the better the outcome will be for those individuals, families, businesses and communities that are suffering from poor internet access and speeds.
The ‘Say Yes’ campaign, which is being run in partnership with the Eastern Daily Press, will be officially launched at 11am today with an event at The Forum in Norwich. Invited guests, including representatives from Norfolk’s business community, will attend and have the opportunity to be among the first to sign up and show their support for the campaign.
At the same time, the campaign website www.norfolk.gov.uk/sayyesnorfolk will go live where residents and businesspeople will be able to sign up as well as find more information about the campaign and Better Broadband for Norfolk project. For those unable to access the website, hard copy forms - separate forms for businesses and households - will be available in all Norfolk County Council libraries and mobile libraries. People can also register by phoning the council’s customer service centre on 0344 800 8023.
The council will also hold several roadshow events across the county over the next two months where people will be able to speak to members of council staff about the campaign and the broadband project and sign up to register their interest. The first of these will follow the launch event today at The Forum and run from 11.30am until 5pm (for a full list of the roadshow events, see notes for editors).
Currently more than 50,000 private and commercial properties in Norfolk are in broadband ‘not spots’, either having no broadband access or suffering very slow internet speeds of less than two megabits per second (Mb/s). Without the council’s Better Broadband for Norfolk project it is estimated that around 60 per cent of Norfolk’s population would still not be able to access superfast broadband in three years’ time.
Ann Steward, Cabinet Member for Economic Development on Norfolk County Council, said: “The importance of painting an accurate picture of the demand that exists in Norfolk cannot be understated. We know that much of the county cannot receive reasonable broadband speeds, and some areas can’t get broadband at all. We know that many individuals, families, businesses and communities are held back and frustrated by poor broadband access. Now we need a sheer volume of people to show they want a better broadband service so we can ultimately get a deal that means the Better Broadband for Norfolk project can get superfast broadband out to as many properties as possible.
“We really need everyone’s support on this. Some people in the county will be fortunate enough to live or run businesses in areas which already have superfast broadband available but everyone can help get the ‘Say Yes’ message out there and help Norfolk get the infrastructure it needs to put the county, its residents and its businesses in the best position for the future.
“We also need people in communities to act as advocates for the campaign - if you’re frustrated by no or poor access to broadband where you live there’s a good chance many of the people living along your road and maybe your whole village or town feel the same way. So be a good neighbour and help us spread the word about the campaign and help us get the best result for everyone.”
The Better Broadband for Norfolk project aims to provide superfast broadband (at least 30Mb/s) in as much of the county as possible and ensure a 2Mb/s service is available as a minimum across the whole of Norfolk, so that everyone who wants access to broadband can have it.
In May last year Norfolk County Council was one of the first local authorities in the UK to be successful in bidding for Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) funding from the Government to make better broadband services available in the county. Vital to the bid’s success was the council’s pledge to match the £15 million of funding it was seeking from central Government. A significant investment will be required from the private sector partner in the project who is due to be appointed in September this year following a competitive bidding process.
Ian Mackie, Deputy Leader of Norfolk County Council and Cabinet Member for Finance and Performance, said: “Last year we asked Norfolk to get behind our Back the Bid campaign to secure Government funding to get better broadband for the county. We had a fantastic response to this, with what felt like the whole county coming together for the good of Norfolk. Following our detailed bid, which included the commitment by the County Council to invest £15 million into the project, we were one of only a few councils to have their bid approved in what was a very competitive field.
“Because of our Better Broadband for Norfolk project, everyone in the county will have access to a minimum two megabits per second broadband service in 2015 - but we want superfast broadband speeds in as many locations as possible so that our residents and businesses are ahead of the game and continue to be able to respond to the opportunities offered by fast-changing technology. The way we can achieve this is by being an attractive investment to a private sector partner, and demonstrating the size of the potential market is the key factor in this.
“It is important to make clear that there is absolutely no obligation in registering your interest at this stage - so if you are not sure but may be interested in receiving better broadband and most importantly want to support the campaign, please do register.”
Independent research commissioned by the County Council shows the Better Broadband for Norfolk project bid will create an additional 1,337 jobs and boost the county’s economy by £401 million over 10 years. It will do this by not only removing the barriers to growth, flexibility and efficiency experienced by many businesses and organisations in Norfolk, but also by encouraging more company start ups, particularly in rural areas, and by persuading more large national and international businesses to consider Norfolk as a more attractive location for their operations.
Councillor Mackie continued: “At a time when public money is very tight, there have been some significant bright spots for Norfolk in the last year - such as the broadband funding, the A11 dualling announcement and the secured future of RAF Marham. This has really shown what we can do when we work together as a county and my thanks go to everyone who has helped us with these achievements. We will of course continue to make sure Norfolk’s interests are represented on a national stage and do whatever we can to make our county a great place to live, work and do business.”
Work to install the broadband infrastructure in the county is expected to begin in January 2013, with new broadband services becoming available in some areas shortly afterwards. The project is due to be completed in 2015.
People are asked to register their interest through the Say Yes campaign by the end of March this y