INTERNET users in Alton who are frustrated at the lack of ADSL Broadband services in the area, have started a lobby group to pressure British Telecom into providing the service.
ADSL Broadband is a high-speed digital internet line that is capable of carrying data at up to 500 kilobits per second, 10 times the speed of a conventional 56k modem. This allows for much faster downloading, smoother video and audio streaming and quicker MP3 loading.
Other benefits of Broadband is that it is always switched on, eliminating the wait to connect to the web, and that it does not affect the service of your phone line, allowing you to make and receive calls while online.
ÔBroadband AltonÕ was formed at the start of June this year by Peter Garner and Duncan McGregor after enquiries to BT about getting connected to its new BT Openworld service drew a complete blank.
They were told that to receive Broadband services, premises have to be located within approximately five kilometres of the nearest telephone exchange, and that this exchange must be fitted with the appropriate ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) technology.
Although towns as close as Bordon and Farnham are equipped with the new service, Garner and McGregor were told that the exchange serving Alton was not going to be equipped with the appropriate technology, as BT felt that there was a lack of demand.
Mr McGregor explained how Broadband Alton came into being: ÒI had just seen BT had finally, after two years, changed their policy from, ÔweÕre going to bring ADSL, itÕs just a matter of timeÕ, to, Ôwe have no plans to bring ADSL due to lack of customer demandÕ.
ÒThey didnÕt announce this, nor tell those people from whom they had accepted preorders. They just changed the wording on their website if you went to specifically check whether your exchange was ADSL enabled.
ÒI was incensed, especially as they are running a national advertising campaign for broadband. So I looked up Òbroadband and AltonÓ on a search engine, found PeterÕs site, and mailed him, saying, ÔThis canÕt be allowed. I think itÕs time for some campaigning.
Will you join me to get broadband in the town?Õ. WeÕve never looked backÓ
Mr Garner said: ÒBT determined that Alton has Òlow levels of demandÓ. It costs around £250,000 to upgrade an exchange so they are going to concentrate on areas where they anticipate demand will be highest. We as a town are not commercially viable for BT at this stage.Ó
BT has pledged to equip exchanges throughout the UK with the ADSL technology, bringing Broadband services to 60 percent of UK homes which equates to some 13 million households. Broadband Alton does not see why Alton should not be a part of this.
The pressure group is based around a website, http://www.broadbandalton.co.uk">www.broadbandalton.co.uk, which carries information about the service and the current situation in Alton. The most important part of the site however is the petition page, where people living or working in the Alton area can register their interest in Broadband services.
The site currently carries the names of 87 private users and 22 businesses in the area that want ADSL services installed, and it is hoped that if enough people express an interest, BT will reconsider.
Mr McGregor said: ÒDue to public pressure such as our campaign, they now say that they will install ADSL if they get a sufficient number of registrations. They canÕt tell us what the Ôtrigger levelÕ is yet, but will by the end of September. It is likely to be between 200 and 400.
ÒThey arenÕt including those people who registered with them in the last two years, nor have they contacted them to ask them to reregister. And the display on the web of the number of registrations is broken. ItÕs all a bit of a shambles.
ÒItÕs a clever policy, because we have been forced into doing BTÕs marketing. But we have no choice if we want the good internet connection that is vital to the future of homes and businesses in Alton.Ó
BT currently charges £29.99 per month for the Broadband home package, with free line activation worth £65 until the end of August. But how long do Broadband Alton think it will take for Alton to be granted these services?
Mr McGregor said: ÒI think the new policy means we will certainly get ADSL, provided we have enough demand. If the trigger level is 200, late 2002 seems reasonable. If its 400, then we will have to wait for prices to fall, or work on the local democracy aspect more than customer demand. WeÕre not alone - BT is under a lot of pressure here, and the change of policy shows that they are taking notice.
ÒAlton is a bit of an anomaly I should think. Bordon, Petersfield, Farnham, Basingstoke all have ADSL. WeÕre a relatively hi-tech town, nestled in a valley with most houses close enough to the exchange. If BT canÕt find some way of enabling a town like Alton, they might as well give up on rural broadband. They canÕt be seen to do that - so I think our chances are good.Ó
BT spokesman Jason Mann said: ÒThe roll-out programme for the Broadband scheme was built around the internet traffic going through a certain exchange. If an exchange experiences a high level of internet traffic, then it is likely that demand for Broadband services will be higher. Like all exchanges that have not been enabled, the Alton exchange did not have a sufficient level of internet traffic.
ÒHampshire as a whole is pretty well off when it comes to Broadband access. Four out of five homes and businesses have access to these facilities, which is well up on the national average.
ÒSince Broadband was launched at the beginning of July, 388 thresholds have been announced, and AltonÕs threshold will be announced before the end of September. Bear in mind that an investment of between £250,000 and £500,000 is required to enable a single exchange, so the demand has to be there before we can make that sort of investment.
ÒWe would obviously welcome any move to promote Broadband services, but we would strongly recommend that those with an interest use the means provided to tell us about it. It will prove to be the most effective way in the long run.
ÒWe would advise people to contact their service provider about their interest in Broadband services, who will in turn contact us.
ÒOnce the threshold is met, the service providers will have 42 days to turn these registrations of interest into actual orders. Only then will an exchange be enabled.
ÒAlthough we cannot put a figure on how long installation will take once the threshold has been met, we would obviously want to satisfy the demand as soon as possible.Ó