BROADBAND 890xxx  
       
 
 Information
     
 

BT has not included Leighterton in its standard roll-out of broadband by next August. Richard Goodenough, a resident of Tresham, therefore invited interested users to a meeting on 16 November [minutes] to consider what could be done about this. It was felt that the benefits of an “always on” broadband connection, between 5 and 40 times faster than the ordinary “dial-up” service we currently have, would be useful if not vital to a rural community such as ours. It would enable people to more effectively work from home, run a business, educate their children, shop and bank on-line, make travel arrangements or just explore the internet at their leisure.

A user group of representatives from each community was set up to co-ordinate interest across the Leighterton exchange area:

 
     
 
Richard Goodenough (chair) richard.goodenough@tresham.org.uk
Bob Davies, Leighterton peggydavies@yahoo.co.uk
Rev'd Howard Nichols, Leighterton hkn@extra-galactic.freeserve.co.uk
Tom Hatherell, Tresham tom.hatherell@farmline.com
Bob Suter, Tresham bob_suter@uk.ibm.com
Pam Stokvis, Lasborough pam@scorpion.co.uk
James Vernon, Bowldown jamesvernon@bowldownfarmsltd.co.uk
Calcot Manor paula@calcotmanor.co.uk
 
     
  The user group met on 1 December [minutes] and decided to investigate alternative means. Satellite and wireless were considered and at the moment wireless seems more likely to meet most users’ requirements. We are therefore in talks with three wireless Internet Service Providers.  
     
  What the ISPs want to know is how many people are genuinely interested in receiving broadband by such means. It will probably be more expensive than the service delivered elsewhere down phone lines because we are only a small community (~215 users). Indeed, this is why BT decided it was not viable for them to enable the Leighterton exchange. So we have decided to make a detailed survey of households and businesses in the area to establish what service people want and what they are prepared to pay. We would like a questionnaire to be completed for each household / business in the area.  
     
  For those households not comfortable with completing a questionnaire on-line, one of your local user-group members will call to take details. Obviously, it is much easier to co-ordinate the results if you are able to complete it on-line. Please note that no personal information will be passed outside the user-group.  
     
  If you want to provide any other feedback or raise queries, please email richard.goodenough@tresham.org.uk