Better broadband for all

The sums of money available to assist with better broadband and to achieve a minimum of 2Mbps for all are insufficient using a single method.

By wire

Wired ADSL helped many to always-on broadband. The geography of the area makes it difficult and often only very slow broadband is possible. Fibre to remote and sparsely-populated areas is not viable.

Wirelessly

Symmetrical wireless solutions offer many more remote places good broadband. This could be enhanced and extended quite easily and cheaply. It is much easier to upgrade wireless than wire and could be used to attract business and employment to the area.

Via satellite

Although the limitations of satellite are quite severe (see the future for broadband), it is, for some the only option. It's not a cheap option but let's not rule out those who have no chance of an alternative.

This campaigning web site started in 2003. As the result of government and council actions it is now necessary to re-kindle the fight for broadband for our rural area.

Government funding to enhance/extend broadband

Public funds were spent helping to creating the infrastructure which the latest grant allocation could destroy. Public money has already been spent on getting Exmoor the broadband solutions it currently has. It is possible that your County Councils will help destroy what we already have and not improve anything at all.

£30 million and more ?

This sum of public funding should, we understand, be match-funded by the County Councils.

But we understand that there is a significant risk that this money will fill the County Councils' coffers and get no farther. For example, Somerset has recently awarded BT a £25m contract to provide network connectivity to the Local Authorities. Given the current level of cuts we would love to know how they intend to fund this. Will funds intended to be for the benefit of council tax payers be redesignated to fund the Council's internal infrastructure ?

It is essential not only that the funding goes to enhance and extend the broadband access of the council tax payers and local businesses but that it is not merely channelled via a single supplier.

Diverse broadband solutions

Urban, suburban and rural areas of this region have, by necessity, had to obtain broadband by more than one means - some get it by wire, others by wireless and still others by satellite. Though the limitations and costs of each method, plus the ease and cost of making these services upgradeable in the future are notable. See the future discussed on this web site for more details on the benefits and problems of the various available technologies.

The sum of money available, even if match-funded, is insufficient to reach those areas which have remained beyond the reach of wired broadband to date.

So it is vital that any allocation of funding does not damage the access to broadband of those currently using other technologies.

Don't waste public funding

Over the past decade public funding has been used to provide broadband to those who could not reach it - via a range of suppliers. The the innovative and far-reaching plans which saw the broadband "not spots" enabled, funded by the Office of the then Deputy Prime Minister and other sources could be severely damaged if the diversity of broadband solutions is not maintained and enhanced.