Loading ...Ofcom to research rural and urban broadband divide
I was quite amused today when I checked out the website of the Commission for Rural Communities blogs to find they are reporting that Ofcom have announced it is launching a programme of research into broadband speeds throughout the country and a voluntary code of conduct for suppliers.
I immediately clicked over to Ofcomwatch, knowing they would be delighted. Their blog post Ofcom finally put stance on broadband speeds right is well worth a read and sets out the code of conduct.
This report, when produced, will identify the reality of the rural/urban broadband speed divide and will be designed, so they say, to help consumers choose between providers. This is of course assuming you have a provider for broadband services in your rural area.
I had to laugh when I looked to the right of the blog post to see a link to a CRC publication called “CRN 51 – Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Rural Inclusion” which is dated Dec 2002. Ofcom have been a little slow in the uptake then!!
If you haven’t been following this story, in a nutshell Ofcom recently issued a report, at what financial cost I hate to guess, stating that the rural/urban divide for internet provision was no longer an issue. This was immediately met by pantomime jeers of “oh no it isn’t” from organisations and individuals across the internet. Ofcom then decide to announce research ….. forgive me but shouldn’t research be done before reports are issued?!
You have to laugh.
If you want to read this comic saga check out my blog posts Ofcom rural broadband report is unrealistic and thinkbroadband.com confirms that Ofcom got it wrong where you can read why I am happy about this news, my business relies on the internet and living in a rural area I know their information has been incorrect.
Let us hope for rural business that they do uncover the true state of affairs and not try to pander to the communications industry again.
March 9th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Rural broadband – I can feel my blood pressure going up already. Our business also relies heavily on broadband for an online booking system, and a sorry saga it has been.
From telling us before we moved in that we’d be live in 4 days it went on and on for over a year with one excuse after another (talk talk) and hours on the phone to people in India, continual promises etc until eventually someone finally confirmed there simply weren’t enough lines down the road and it wasn’t just a question of ‘the server being updated’ or ‘dax on the line’ etc… Every week we’d put the web updates on a USB pen and take them to the village hall free broad band night. We even bought a wireless bridge and tried connecting to a neighbour half a mile away. Eventually, by sheer good fortune, the cables were due for an upgrade. Even then our neighbours almost got the connection instead of us.
So what about everyone else who wasn’t so lucky??
Complete cockup from start to finish. I could go on more, but I’d better not!
March 11th, 2009 at 9:45 am
Sorry to hear about your frustrations Maggie, it’s a really bad show and not set to improve very much for rural areas I’m afraid. I have friends with a rural business and they have to phone their daughter in a city and get her to run their site and pass orders back and forward every night … how on earth can any business succeed that way …. arrgghhh my blood pressure is up too now.
August 4th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
I love what you guys are always up too. Such clever work and reporting! Keep up the great works guys I’ve added you guys to my blogroll, Cheers.
August 4th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
Hi Signal Providers
I’ve removed your company name and link but was wondering why you bother spamming blogs? I usually just delete spam but I would love someone to explain to me why you spend your time doing it? Wouldn’t it be simpler to leave a genuine comment and get a link back??!!
Silly people
November 16th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
” I usually just delete spam but I would love someone to explain to me why you spend your time doing it?” unfortunately its inevitable when running a blog – spambots… trawling through the internet and leaving random comments