news story

16th November 2007

Broadband Victory for South Gloucestershire Villages

Broadband internet access will finally reach two small South Gloucestershire villages after a successful campaign by local MP Steve Webb working alongside local residents. Villagers living in Hill and Rockhampton, near Thornbury, have until now had to rely on slow 'dial-up' connections to the internet because of the inadequate connections to the local telephone exchange.

Now BT has agreed to spend over £100,000 upgrading the exchange and cabling over the coming months so that residents can get high-speed internet access. A public meeting is to be held at Hill village hall at 7pm on Thursday 29th November, hosted by Steve Webb MP, where BT executives will explain their plans. This will include significant roadworks so that the necessary cabling can be put in place.

Steve Webb MP said:

"I am delighted that residents of smaller villages such as Hill and Rockhampton will soon be able to benefit from broadband internet access. Growing numbers of people use broadband either for business or leisure, and it is wrong that people who live in rural areas have been denied access.

"I am pleased that by working alongside local residents we have been able to persuade BT to make the necessary investment. I hope that local people will come along to the meeting on 29th November and hear more about what is planned".

Hill resident Thomas Jenner-Fust has led the residents' campaigning and earlier this year he sent BT a petition with the names of over 80 parishioners, of whom more than 25 wanted broadband for business use.
 

Excerpt from letter from BT follows:

"Our local planning engineers have surveyed the cable network serving the village and I am pleased to be able to tell you that the considerable investment required to install  higher gauge cable on part of the lines serving the village has been approved. This higher gauge cable will improve the network to the village which will enable Broadband to be delivered. The work will require the laying of over 1.5km of new pipe work, in which to install the cable. The work will require a road closure notice which we will organise in consultation with the Highways authority and this is subject to a statutory notice period of eight weeks. Given the scale of the work involved it will take several months to complete and I anticipate completion around the end of March 2008. I am sorry for the time involved but the work involved is significant and where possible I will do all I can to complete earlier.

"Once the work is completed, you will be able to place an order for broadband. All broadband orders are subject to a successful line test, but I understand from our engineers that once the higher gauge copper cable is installed, the loss of your line should be reduced sufficiently to allow a reliable broadband service to be provided."