Broadband Centre opens for business

"You don't buy electricity to look at it in a box. but for what it does for your quality of life" Rother leader Cllr Graham Gubby said after cutting a ceremonial ribbon across the door of the balloon-draped new centre in Sackville Road.

Within minutes, the first inquirer was sitting at one of the inquiry desks while manager Karen Dadswell answered key questions about broadband and what it could offer to the quality of life and to the efficiency of business.

The centre has been set up to offer free and impartial advice to all businesses and start-ups in the area.

The initiative has been part-funded by the EU, Sea Space, the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and supported by BT. It follows the success of the broadband centre set up in Hastings a year ago where the response from the business community has exceeded all expectations.

The Rother leader had a length of electricity cable in one hand a broadband connection in the other to drive home his message that the centre would get out to business and the private sector that broadband could not only save them significant amounts of money but open up the ability to offer their goods and services to new markets.

Broadband was also a key factor in improving the quality of life in the home. His own example was being used as a case study by BT.

His student son was dependent on the internet for much of the information he needed but initially this had clashed with his own needs as Rother leader. This could involve down-loading page after page of information. Every 20 minutes he would have to press the button to maintain access. All the while, the home telephone line was unavailable to other members of the family.

Broadband had brought instant access to the information they needed - without putting the phone out of action.

"It is great to open this centre here. It is yet more evidence of what we are doing as a regeneration taskforce," said the leader.