The Digital Office will lead the project to develop a regional strategy for making the most of new fast fibre installation in the region.
The strategy, to be prepared in consultation with the public, will outline priority projects and be ready in time for the start of local councils' next annual budget planning rounds in December.
Dunedin deputy mayor Cr Chris Staynes, who is chairman of the Digital Community Trust, which runs the Digital Office, said it became clear during the development of Dunedin's digital strategy in 2010 there was variable access to broadband across Otago and a regional approach to improving digital connections across the whole area would benefit the whole province, including Dunedin.
Some parts of central Dunedin and Queenstown are already part of the ultra-fast broadband introduction, while towns outside those come under the rural broadband initiative.
The ultra-fast broadband programme covers zones 1 and 2 (cities and large towns) and the rural broadband initiative covers zone 4 (rural areas including Clyde, Millers Flat, Omakau, Tarras and Poolburn).
Alexandra, Cromwell, Ranfurly and Roxburgh are included in zone 3, which will receive only standard improvements and is not expected to have a significant benefit for Central Otago towns.
Cr Staynes said he and Digital Office staff visited mayors and councils across the region to discuss the idea of developing a joint strategy and five of the six Otago councils agreed to contribute to the cost of the project.
Queenstown-Lakes District Council opted not to contribute.
When the Central Otago District Council agreed to join the project in late 2011, it said itwas in the hope that the strategy group would help lobby for Central Otago towns to be included in the high-speed internet introduction programme.
Cr Staynes said one advantage of a joint strategy would be a stronger position from which to advocate for digital needs and initiatives across the region.
The strategy could also see the development of a regional digital office and the wider spread of programmes such as the computers in homes and shared wi-fi access programmes, already working well in Dunedin.
The computers in homes programme provided re-worked second-hand machines to families that could not afford computers and internet access, and a trial of 25 families who were accessing Queen's High School's wi-fi using computers in homes was going well so far.
The wi-fi access project was aimed at families that could not afford to get their own connection to broadband, but could potentially access wi-fi through their school's connection.
