1) as covered by the Guardian, 2) the real story behind the announcement from the FT- Minister Timms stands down, 3) some further details.
A significant move towards an open access model... and the reality of the market, investment, and failure of a government NGN/fibre policy.
1) Richard Wray, communications editor | The Guardian, Thursday January 10 2008 | BT bets its future on broadband 20 times faster than now · Openreach to install fibre system at Ebbsfleet · Kent Network will rival those of Japan, Korea and the US
2) ft.com | Pressure off BT over superfast broadband
BT would not be forced to invest billions of pounds in a national, superfast broadband network, ministers said last night, as the company outlined tentative plans to accelerate broadband speeds hugely.
The government's move is likely to be greeted with relief by investors, who feared it had been pressing BT to spend £15bn or more on a fibre-optic network connecting all homes. (...)
3
more details --
http://www.lightreading.com
More: news
Related: Ofcom launches fibre-access consultation
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bbc | Last Updated: Tuesday, 29 January 2008, 14:04 GMT
'There is no Ebbsfleet'
A £2m, 50-metre sculpture has been commissioned to represent the huge regeneration scheme in north Kent. The BBC's David Sillito visits the site and asks whether it will live up to its grand ambition.
"There is no Ebbsfleet, it's a train station and that's it. That's all Ebbsfleet is. There is no Ebbsfleet".
(...)
In the past they might have just built some houses and left it at that, nowadays the buzz phrase is "placemaking" and that involves trying to create the intangible things that turn a place you live into a place you care about.
"You can't make a community. Community comes from the heart. All we can do is give it the best start possible."
And a 50-metre piece of art will help?
"Oh, I think all sorts of things have a very important role to play in that but certainly yes, helping put Ebbsfleet on the map, giving it a sense of pride, giving it a totem."
So icon first, town second.
Building houses, you see, is easy. Building a place that people care about is rather harder
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