In reply to a post by jayteepics:

"Market 1 means that the �Local Loop� has not been unbundled (LLU�d)"

Not strictly true. Some Market 1s have 1 or more LLU providers, particularly TT, cuz Ofcom updates classifications only infrequently.

You say 21CN is not applicable to your particular exchange. True at present, but your article reads as a general statement about Market 1. You should make it clear that it is only about your local exchange. Indeed I should forget Market 1 and just say that your exchange only has BT Wholesale BB kit present. Therefore the rest of it.

The problem with your exchange and many like it is BT and other broadband suppliers �at this present time� do not think it viable to invest in broadband upgrades there due to the small number of customers.

709 residential premises
31 non-residential premises.

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange/WWCHIS

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

O2 Access which is their offnet product does not have a good reputation in terms of peoples experience.

Network performance O2 Access got a lot better when they imposed a 20 GB usage limit, but that's largely down to the fact that it's no longer competitive and so has much fewer customers now.

I agree with most of the other posters observations

If I was a local I would also ask where you got the 2020 date for Superfast broadband from?

The Government and most councils keep quoting 2015 as the date when the majority of the UK will be 'superfast'. But 2015 is nearly here and my Market 1 20CN exchange doesn't appear to have any upgrade plan in place for 2015 or 2020...

In reply to a post by b4dger:

The Government and most councils keep quoting 2015 as the date when the majority of the UK will be 'superfast'. But 2015 is nearly here and my Market 1 20CN exchange doesn't appear to have any upgrade plan in place for 2015 or 2020...

"The majority" (i.e. over 50%) is easy enough to achieve; Openreach plan on enabling two-thirds of the UK by end 2014. Enabling the rest is the problem, due to cost and lack of ROI.

Yes it's clearly the lack of ROI that will stop the market reaching us.

The 2020 stated earlier is the year by which the Government expects complete broadband coverage (which for some current not-spots can be as little as 2Mbps) and hey we are already covered so there is already a tick in our box

Devon and Somerset have a published goal to achieve 85% through their DCMS/BDUK intervention spending which is starting from the low 50's percentile unlike less rural areas which might start from 62-65% fulfilled out to 85% by intervention spend.

So little villages like ours are pretty certain to fall in the final 10-15% however you look at it and that gap is to be fulfiilled between 2015 and 2020 hence the reference to 2020.

There have been lots of previous very helpful replies and indeed SamKnows links to my request and I will indeed remove references to Market X and make it simply about our exchange.

I have learned a lot through your replies and references and I would like to convey my thanks to all for taking time out to help.

A Bit of A Twist in the Tail (if you can spare a moment to read more]

I would like to rectify something I responded to earlier about 21CN I think that was the acronym where I (and for that matter SamKnows) did not really know about this.

Please bear with me here because this just might be important for us minnows..

Connecting Somerset involved fibre enabling schools, public services like surgeries et al. Now it turns out that this is 21CN fibre bespoke for the public services, fibre laid by Openreach under a 7 year contract for SouthWest One.

We have discovered that fibre has been laid to a primary school in our village 10Mbps (school is 200 mtrs from my house) and to an Academy school about 3Kms away 100Mbps. Our local primary school fibre comes from WWCHIS - Openreach were spotted laying it and when asked replied it was for the school.

We sort of dismissed this fibre as a possible lever to get FTTC to our villages because despite our MP writing to the Chief Executive of Somerset County Council they Somerset are not going to renegotiate the contract and even references to school fibre being utilised to solve a not-spot near Winchester, Hants**. cut no ice with them. Quote "The contracts will be too complex to renegotiate" (** gleaned from news item on thinkbroadband.com !)

What we have however been told is that if BT / Openreach were to succeed in the negotiations with ConnectingDevonandSomerset for the intervention area infrastructure enablement then it would be up to BT/Openreach to decide whether to exploit their fibre infrastructure to fibre enable us by blowing more fibre through the existing fibre ducting. It turns out the only player left in the counties negotiations is BT/Openreach (Fujitsu having pulled out)

Of the 709 (IIRC) subscribers to WWCHIS we have only managed to build a database of 170 registered members who support our attempt to get FTTC. Remember we have a lot of happy subscribers who don't think they will have a need for fibre (mentioned way at the top of the post) so 170 aint bad considering that IMO

My final request for feedback is this..

Do you think we have any chance from reading the above of getting FTTC in our 4 villages by 2015?

Thank you all once again.
Jamie

Now I know its Somerset it is easier to respond as know the council plan.

Theirs is less ambitious at 85% at 25 Mbps and faster, the unknown is whether you are in that area and only the council can answer that. If they simply roll-over and let Openreach get on with it, they will do what is easiest for them.

Some councils have secured much higher coverage figures, which would see you connected sooner in other counties.

If you have premises getting under 2 Mbps connection speed, you should see some money spent in the area, which may see FTTC deployed with a nice side effect of very high speeds. Depends on what Openreach decice to do largely and only time will tell.

Best bet is lobbying of local councils to make sure it is your villages and not some other one that benefit.

Wow! Thanks for that Mr Saffron!

Just today I was complaining about references to the 'Final 10%' to CDS Snr Economic Advisor and got a flat response of 85% limit. i guess they think by them setting it at 85% then anything over that will be seen as a success and that will make them look good - cynical me.

Yes! too to your suggestion of lobbying them this is what we have been doing and will continue to do so enboldened by your encouragement - Thank You .

We are actively trying to enlarge our support by holding an evening event to encourage 'novice' computer and internet users to come and get some help as we are trying to enfranchise everyone who wants to be a part of the future evolution of broadband provision we also want to reach those who want to be included in this but as yet still don't have a computer 'thingy'

Thank You

excchnage WWCHIS is market 1 somersiet -- suggest you contact local authoritry to find out what is happeing re your exchnage as i would expect your exchnage to be in the internention are (not commerially viable) and thefore shoudl be covered onder bDIK funding

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

excchnage WWCHIS is market 1 somersiet -- suggest you contact local authoritry to find out what is happeing re your exchnage as i would expect your exchnage to be in the internention are (not commerially viable) and thefore shoudl be covered onder bDIK funding

Thanks we have been negotiating with our LA (Somerset County Council) since February when we looked at the possibility of a DEFRA grant bid but because DEFRA used something called LSOA (Local Super Output Areas - I think - an Office of National Statistics concept) as the demographically 'fair' area we found we had to abandon that approach because it embraced three BT Exchanges.

Since then we have continued to lobby our LA but concentrating on WWCHIS and between the lines the response doesn't look good at all for us to be included in the 'intervention area' spend clearly it's to do with 'bang for every DCMS/BDUK Buck spent'.