Connected Communities - Broadband in the Western Isles

Home

RESEARCH

The Use of Computer Networks for Community and Business Development

This project is an initiative of Lews Castle College, UHI, and the Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University. The study is being funded by the Western Isles Enterprise Company, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, The Western Isles, Skye and Lochalsh LEADER+, and the UHI Millennium Institute. The project is intended to provide a community perspective on anticipated developments in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) by combining primary data gathering with local facilitation and training. The study will focus on the potential adoption of wireless broadband uses in the Western Isles of Scotland.

The purpose of this project is to provide a clear understanding of the aspirations and potential demand for broadband connectivity among Western Isles communities and businesses. The work will focus on three key communities to provide a baseline analysis and subsequent monitoring of the developing community networks. Comparison will also be made with international examples of best practice in community network operations in remote and rural areas, particularly in North America and the Nordic countries. Using these identified examples of best practice, the project team will seek to provide specific outcomes for education, social, and business engagement with community networks which will serve as a model for knowledge transfer to other relevant geographical areas.