East of England Broadband Network

The East of England Broadband Network (E2BN) is one of 10 Regional Broadband Consortia (RBCs) set up by the UK Government to help raise standards in teaching and learning by the use of broadband technology.

E2BN's region covers 2822 schools within Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Luton, Milton Keynes, Norfolk, Peterborough, Southend-on-Sea, Suffolk and Thurrock.

In collaboration with ApplianSys, E2BN have developed and operate the Protex content filtering service that is used across schools in the region.

Network Services

The provision of 10Gb core broadband infrastructure throughout the region, equipment and services that optimise delivery of E2BN content and activities and allow these to take place in a safe and secure environment.

Technical Services

Protex

E2BN offers schools a web filtering service. E2BN's Protex web filtering system received full Becta accreditation in 2007 and 2010/11. It claims to have be able to block over 90% of all inappropriate material. E2BN achieved 100% in the Adult, Drugs and Racist categories and 96% in the Hacking and Violence categories. E2BN is currently undergoing renewal of accreditation.

E2BN's Protex content filtering service has been criticised by many students as being repressive, for example it blocks specialist news websites such as gaming blogs and movie sites. Their weighted phrase limit has been also criticised for blocking educational information that has contains objectionable wording within, for example numerous articles on Wikipedia. It is also criticised for political blocking, for example the Scientology website and the British National Party's site are blocked.

Protex is based on the open source filtering software DansGuardian.

Caching

E2BN manages a distributed caching service which is integrated with the web filtering service. There is central caching available at the core and each LA taking the web filtering service also receives local caching.

Content Services

The work E2BN carries out with LAs, schools and the other RBCs to develop and provide content and activities to learners and teachers within the region. Some of those resources are also used worldwide.

See also

  • Regional Broadband Consortium
  • London Grid for Learning
  • WMnet

E2BN Services