abcbroadband

Yet more connectivity problems locally. Friend is going off to work on a cruise ship for 9 months. Parents want to be able to email and Skype her both on the boat and when she goes ashore if possible. They ask for help setting up an Internet connection and computer. Put their landline number into BT availability checker, get the usual VERY UNLIKELY we can provide a broadband connection but we will take your order and your money and then probably still be unable to connect you stuff.

Odd, methinks. There are others higher up the village, further from the exchange, who have broadband - weedy but connected. So, dig out phone numbers for others around them and start phoning around to see 1) the state of their connections ("Can't even get 1/2Mbps and it's been dropping recently - is that the weather?") and 2) whether perchance they would mind sharing the (crap) connections they have wirelessly for now.

Second person I phone who may have line of sight says, "Hang on a minute, I'm trying to run a business here - what if it affects my connection? Isn't this BT's problem? Shouldn't they just have to find a way of delivering broadband to these folk?" Try to explain there is no Universal Service Obligation on broadband as there is on voice, and if there were BT (with SMP - significant market power) would use it as an excuse to further lock in customers to their monopoly. Also, that BT sees no need in the near future to upgrade the copper, and we'll be the last to see the effects of 21CN and FTT cabinet and VDSL if they ever even get that far.

This on a day when Ofcom's CEO asks one of his team to email me asking if we would be interested in feeding in some grassroots facts about disconnectivity problems in rural areas. This within less than a week of a DTI senior policy advisor telling me that the DTI has no hard evidence of the problems in rural areas, could we provide it for the Minister, and me explaining that unless they pay us for the info, those with that info will have to get on with running our own businesses - which, interestingly have nothing to do with broadband.

And this on the day that I hear that the Australian Government has accepted the problems and now offers any business eg farmers who cannot get connected by the incumbent the equivalent of £3000 and told to find a way to connect themselves. After all, realistically, if you spent that on a satellite dish you would start to see the money coming back through savings to the business' bottom line pretty fast (and hence presumably a rise in profitability and tax paid to the Govt) if you could do far more online and didn't have to drive miles to do it. The environmental effects of broadband have yet to be even discussed in this country, but other nations seem to be realising that it is easier to let the incumbent try and if they fail, just intervene. Long term we all know it makes sense.

Meanwhile, it's time to rake through the office and dig out some antennas, bridges etc and see in daylight whether there is any way to share a crap connection over wireless to ensure that this lass and her parents can stay in touch over the coming months. And post to the Blog this year more frequently so others can see what goes on with those of us trying to help others, whilst others in Govt, BT et al earn money not doing it. Bleurgh!

posted by Cybersavvy UK @ 10:50 AM