We are starting a campaign to make SuperFast Fibre Broadband available to Keepers Lane, Weedon Hill, (1 - 24) Walnut Way and OakView.
We have a questionnaire we would like residents to complete at: Super Fast Broadband Questionnaire. This will help us gauge the level of interest, and help our fight to move this campaign forward.
For the latest details regarding the campaign, please visit: Super Fast Broadband Campaign - Latest
What is SuperFast fibre broadband?
Put simply Fibre broadband technology provides download speeds of up to 76Mbps. That’s 20 times faster than your current download speed. Currently download speeds in your property will be limited to between 3Mbps and 4.5Mbps.
How much will it cost?
Once available, fibre broadband prices aren’t much different to standard broadband prices. Currently 38Mbps fibre broadband costs £15 per month from BT and 76Mbps fibre broadband costs £26 per month. This compares to £10 per month standard broadband.
Why can’t we get it?
You may not be aware, but ¾ of premises in Hyde Heath already have access to fibre broadband.
Those 300 properties are connected to BT Cabinet 28, located at the junction of Brays Lane, and Meadow Way, which has already been upgraded.
The remaining 110 (or so) properties, which cover most of Weedon Hill, Keepers Lane, (1 - 24) Walnut Way and OakView are connected to BT Cabinet 6 (located near the junction of Weedon Hill / Keepers Lane), which has not been upgraded.
Is it fair, that Cabinet 28 was upgraded for free, and ours isn't?
No, it's not fair.
Can't we just extend the connection from Cabinet 28 to Cabinet 6?
Unfortunately it is not as simple as that. Our copper phone lines run into Cabinet 6. Optic fibre needs to be connected directly from Chesham exchange to the cabinet, with boosters every 500m or so. The fibre equipment needs to be installed into a new fibre cabinet, which site within 50m of the existing telephone cabinet, which is part of the cost. The fibre equipment comes in several sizes, allowing 288, 256 or 128 connections, so cabinet 28 will be at capacity in any case.
FTTC - Fibre To The Cabinet - Overview
FTTC Cabinets
So won't it be coming soon?
It doesn’t look like this will happen at all without action. Cabinet 6 doesn’t meet the requirements for a commercial upgrade by BT.
ConnectedCounties.org is looking at using public funding to bring fibre to these uneconomic cabinets, in order to cover 90% of the population. However our cabinet is not in the current rollout or evaluation plan (phase 7 - up to March 2016)
What are our options?
We have two options. The first is to petition Connected Counties to get on a future review, by indicating there is strong demand for it.
The second option is to fund the upgrade as a community, either in part or in full, if we are unable to get a commitment from any organisations to upgrade the cabinet. We have been given some indication that the upgrade will cost £30,000. Based on this, an upgrade would cost £300 each, split between 100 properties. If agreed, the lead time on an upgrade can still be expected to take 9 months, from the date of the agreement. See: www.superfast-openreach.co.uk/rural-broadband/Fibre-roll-out.aspx
As part of the questionnaire, we are asking if you are willing to contribute to an upgrade. When considering how much you would pay, consider that the availability of fibre broadband may affect the saleability of your property.
What will we do next?
We will continue to work with ConnectedCounties and other organisations to try an achieve an upgrade
What would we like you to do next?
There are two steps we are asking residents to do
1) We would like residents, to complete a questionnaire, answering a few simple questions, which we will use to gauge the interest and assess the next course of action.
2) We would like residents to register their interest at various websites, which will improve the chances of our cabinet receiving an upgrade – links are below
Registering Your Interest
Please register your interest at the following sites:
There are organisations, that record interest in fibre broadband, in order to determine which cabinets should be upgraded. By registering at these sites, you are not making commitments to take superfast broadband, but registering will improve the chances of receiving an upgrade.
BT Openreach:
http://www.superfast-openreach.co.uk/expression-gen.aspx (opens in new window)
Connected Counties:
http://www.connectedcounties.org/check-availability (opens in new window) - Click Register Now
Broadband Questionnaire
Please complete the questionnaire at: Super Fast Broadband Questionnaire
