Questions to the House have now added to the growing chorus of calls for clarity regarding just exactly what value for the Taxpayer, the proposed funding of a wannabe new quango called INCA is offering.

 

The Noble Lord Laird last week raised the following questions to Her Majesty’s Government:

 

Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will request the National Audit Office to investigate the formation, management and accounts of Community Broadband Network (CBN) and request accounts to be submitted for outstanding years; whether they will place such accounts in the Library of the House; what progress the Mutual Societies Permissions, Decisions and Reporting Division, Supervision Business Unit of the Financial Services Authority is making in investigating the organisation; how much money they have paid to the CBN each year; and which department paid the money. HL2830

 

 

 
Lord Laird to ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will request the National Audit Office to investigate the formation, management and accounts of the Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA) and request accounts to be submitted for outstanding years; whether they will place such accounts in the Library of the House; what progress the Mutual Societies Permissions, Decisions and Reporting Division, Supervision Business Unit of the Financial Services Authority is making in investigating the organisation; how much money they have paid to the INCA each year; and which department paid the money. HL2831

 

For the past six months, there has been growing grassroots concern regarding INCA’s lack of both direction and also actual engagement with the core constituency of communities who want to have independent networks that put people first, particularly in the so-called Final Third where market failure by the incumbent telcos was predicted by the Digital Britain Report.

 

A much fuller explanation of the wider concerns surrounding INCA can be found here at the Fibrevolution blog.

 

It is time to find better ways of assisting independent networks get that voice that INCA was promoted to provide.

 

The Interim Board of INCA must either take direct action to both alay all concerns and put in place a credible CBN-independent roadmap for positive outcomes before June or end this farce without further ado and leave it to others in this space to deliver value for emerging independent NGA networks, e.g. FTFC

 

The 4th Utility is too important to the future prosperity and well-being of the people of this country to be side-tracked by consultants with opaque intentions and direction.