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Interested in lobbying BT for Broadband access?
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us!
Friday 30th January 2004
Serena gets an email:
Dear Serena
It's been a while since we spoke, so I thought I'd try to touch base
with you about where BT is at, vis-à-vis Shenley Lodge.
I was obviously very excited to read your email around Christmas about
your imminent "pleasant news" and "providing a resolution", and I
expected to have heard something more by now. So can you tell me what
news there is about sorting out my line? It continues to hum and buzz
incessantly on the voice circuit, like an earth loop, if that's any help
with diagnosing the problem.As you suggested, I did talk at some
length with your colleague in London, and happily shared my knowledge
about what went on at Shenley Lodge with the MKDC during the 80s/90s. He
seemed to be very interested. Do you know if that information proved to
be useful? I do hope so.
You probably realise from reading the BB4MK website that I now find
myself Nick Hubbard's Shenley
Lodge deputy, and in that capacity I thought you'd be interested to
know that we now have 31 members in the grid square. Obviously they'd
all be equally interested to know BT's plan for our estate, so I'll
gladly pass on anything that you'd like me to say to them.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Regards
Dr Neil G Cutland |
My Inbox
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Thank you! We are now able to receive Broadband: two of our neighbours in
Shenley Lodge already have it installed.
Eric [Wait until you apply and have Broadband installed! Don't count
your chickens until they're streaming video!] |
I have Broadband. I went with BT and bought a 5861 router
off of Ebay. A bit difficult to use for the novice but excellent when you've
worked out how to do everything.
Regards,
Adam, Crownhill |
The latest results from the broadband enquiry service:
For Telephone Number 01908221xxx on Exchange WOLVERTON
Your exchange has ADSL broadband. However, the length of the telephone line
between you and the exchange is too long for ADSL broadband. However, we are
continuing to look for alternative technology solutions and will keep you
updated with developments as they happen.
Thank you for your interest.
Next Step
For Postcode MK13 0LR
Good news! The checker indicates that ADSL Broadband is available in your
area and that the preliminary check on your postcode suggests that you
should be able to receive ADSL Broadband services at speeds from 512kilobits
per second to 2Megabits per second downstream and 256kilobits per second
upstream.
Please note that a test on your telephone line will be performed should you
decide to place an order, to make sure that your line is suitable before
progressing the order.
Thank you for your interest.
Next Step
Now you tell me what is going on. As I have previously pointed out all the
coverage maps show that I am well within the area yet apparently my
telephone line is so long that it goes half way around the country bvefore
getting to me.
Peter, Bluebridge[Get in touch with Serena
or Tina at BT. The line is fine. Other people in Blue Bridge have
Broadband. A neighbour of yours was sorted out by Tina
a few days ago.] |
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If only Broadband would land in Walnut Tree, my daily grind would be so
much easier. Working from home a lot of the time using standard internet
connection makes my life miserable at times (i.e. most of the time!)
May MKBAG be successful in it's aims!
Chris, Walnut Tree |
Let me know if there seems any possibility that
Oakgrove
WON'T have BB I have a good line into the EP side of things and might
be able to help.
However I will be surprised if BB is NOT planned.
Mr Mole |
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Interesting to hear the some folks in
Monkston have got ADSL now - I ran the checker again on my house and
still no Joy. Have you any idea of the approximate location in Monkston of
the folks that have ADSL?
P.S. I am still on the NTL wireless broadband trial and it's going great
guns - seems to be the equivalent of 1mbit down 128bit up
Regards and thanks for all your hard work as usual.
Adam, Monkston [I think you're covered by the cabling work BT did last
year. The BT database is letting you down.] |
I'm glad to be on board.
A fact about living at my address may interest you ....
A few years ago, I applied to have an isdn line installed at my address in
Walnut Tree and was told that because my line was "borderline" on its length
from the exchange, I would have to have a physical line check.
This line check was carried out by a BT engineer that visited my house with
a case of meters and involved him making various measurements on the line
while talking to his colleague, who apparently was at the exchange.
Due to the fact that I was an electrician specializing in industrial control
circuitry and communications and had recently got into IT as a technical
consultant, I was very interested and paid close attention to what he was
doing.
The main fact that stuck with me was when he told me that I was just within
range of being eligible for ISDN.My line length was 5.25km.
I ended up not getting the ISDN line due to the costs involved.
About a year later I applied for ADSL and was of course turned down because
the line limit was 3.5km.
When BT raised the length to 6.0km, I immediately applied for ADSL as I knew
my line length (5.25km as confirmed by the engineer) was within the limits
set, but I was then told that my line length exceeded the limit!
I have had various angry phone calls to different departments at BT trying
to sort this but I can't seem to be put through to anyone technical to
explain my concerns. I always end up talking to someone on a helpdesk who
thinks that because I'm a customer, I know nothing.
Anyway as I said, I'm glad to be onboard and appreciate what you're doing.
Regards
Darren |
I thought I would send this reply from Serena. I asked
how accurate the checker was.
I was a little surprised at the second paragraph she wrote, as I live in
Loughton, and not Shenley Lodge. I did give her my phone number and my
postcode!
Unimpressed.
Paul
Paul
Thank you for your mail.
The broadband checker works by using database records to establish
the distance a customers line is from the exchange. When a postcode
check is done, this calculation will be based on the distance form
the exchange to a central point within that postcode area. When a
check is done using a phone number, the check will take into account
the actual routing a customers line takes and this therefore proves
to be more accurate and reflective of broadband availability. It can
also, as your situation has proved, identify the correct exchange,
especially when a customers postcode is between two exchanges.
Customers in Shenley Lodge have had particular problems in
progressing broadband orders because of the distances involved from
the exchange. Currently your line is indicating that broadband is
not available and there is nothing further I can do at this stage to
progress broadband for yourself.
BT is putting specific resource into addressing the issues here in
Milton Keynes. We recognise that there are some areas like Milton
Keynes, where because of the history of the land development and the
geography of our network configuration, the number of customers
within broadband reach is lower than the national average. The
national average is now approx. 96%. We are analysing the nature of
the broadband availability gaps in Milton Keynes and working on
developing solutions. It is not yet possible to talk about specific
time lines, but currently our efforts in Milton Keynes are leading
and informing the approach to broadband gaps in other parts of the
country.
It is very difficult to say how soon a solution might be
implemented, as we have to fully establish the scale and causes of
the issues. Nationally BT has a range of programmes in place to
assess and mitigate the issues in such areas but we need to proceed
in an orderly fashion, i.e. beginning with evaluation of technology
or possible systems changes, then moving to trial of potential
services/products. Nationally we hope to be in a position to
articulate proposals on reach in the summer of 2004.
Regards
Serena |
Serena's getting a lot of earache from Shenley Lodge residents.
We are due to meet with BT this month. Let's see what they have for us...
Nick |
| Live in Great Holm and have just bought a nice new pc.
Phoned up to get connected and cannot believe I live about a mile from city
centre and cant get it. On the Stony Stratford exchange apparently, yet my
mate in Bradwell can.
What's that all about?
Simon, Great Holm |
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