1. The Group

Milton Keynes Broadband Action Group formed in 2003. The area covered is defined by the 01908 dialling code. We've had 3 years of reasoned and mature interaction with British Telecom (BT) and Milton Keynes Council (MKC). We currently have nearly 1000 members who are unhappy with the broadband situation in MK.

2. The current issues

Broadband is not just about game-playing and video downloading!

• broadband is vital for the economic growth of MK.
• the sustainability agenda has led to increasing numbers of people working from home, and for them broadband speeds are simply essential.
• some residents and businesses in MK still cannot get broadband at all.
• some residents and businesses can only get an entry-level speed of 512kbps.
• even brand new homes in MK are often limited to 1Mbps, far slower than the speeds now available in practically every other area of the UK.
• the absence or inadequacy of broadband will lead to pockets of unsaleable homes, a slowdown in businesses relocating to MK, and a growing sense of social exclusion.

The root causes are simple:

• BT’s telephone lines, the most popular way of accessing broadband, are too long or too thin (or both) to support the technology properly.
• the cable TV infrastructure is old and incapable of providing an alternative broadband service.
  

All in all, this is an appalling picture, especially for a dynamic, prosperous, high-tech new city.

3. Possible solutions – and why they aren’t working

BT: BT "have been nice" to us - they have replaced cables to some estates to fix broadband issues. However, BT's "niceness" is hitting an internal commercial threshold. BT do not, theoretically, have a broadband monopoly – although to all intents and purposes in MK they do.

BT – the future: BT are focusing on their ‘21CN’ programme, which replaces the old telephone wire infrastructure with fibre-optic technology. BT really don't want to invest any more in the old telephone cabling, but 21CN is a long-term programme which won’t be rolled-out in MK until at least 2010.

MK Council’s WiMax initiative: The group commends the team at MKC for their latest wireless initiative. They were not obliged to do this. However, WiMax is unproven – it’s still being evaluated by the Internet Service Providers. We also believe that wireless technology is best suited to rural areas, and is not appropriate for servicing large numbers of residents in high density locations such as Milton Keynes.

Local loop unbundling (LLU): LLU is where a third party company takes over a phone line from BT. But in practice they use the very same telephone wires that BT used - so we are still stuck with no or slow broadband.

MK’s cable system: MK’s existing cable TV is 1980s technology, and desperately needs upgrading. It’s not technically possible to put digital TV channels or broadband onto the system. The cable operator, NTL, proffers various excuses for not carrying out the work – usually “the Council won't let us dig up the roads” – but it is widely believed that they are financially incapable of making the investment. Importantly, we are not aware of any official position statement from NTL on the future of MK’s cable.

Digital TV: (This topic is included because the organisation ‘Digital UK’ has been suggested as a way forward for our group.) TV is available throughout the UK in three forms - terrestrial (Freeview), satellite and cable…except in MK! MK residents have started erecting large aerials to get a Freeview signal; MKC’s local planning restriction disallowing exterior aerials has been dropped. Digital TV via cable provides the signal without the clutter but, as discussed above, our cable system would need upgrading. Digital UK’s brief only extends to TV, so they do not, in fact, relate particularly strongly to our group.

Ofcom: We have tried to interest Ofcom in our problems, but the telecommunication regulator’s remit regarding internet access is unimpressive. They simply have to ensure that all UK residents can get dial-up access at a speed of 28.8 kbps – twenty times slower than the slowest broadband! It seems incredible in 2006 that BT is not obliged to provide anything faster.

4. The future – what would work?

The group believes that MK’s problems of broadband and digital TV can be resolved together. We simply need a credible, proven and sustainable alternative to BT, in the form of a decent cable infrastructure. This would introduce real competition for the first time, providing a significant spur to BT to raise their game.

This infrastructure requires investment funding. The technology is nothing horrendous - an upgraded cable in an underground duct system that allows for technology changes. Replaceability will ensure that it is future-proof - just make the ducts big enough. (Digital cable this year; optical fibre the next 10 years; future cable system the next…). Apparently NTL cannot invest at this level. Market forces have not worked. A Private-Public Partnership (PPP) arrangement may work – but we need assistance at government level.

Actions for our MPs

• The customer-facing part of NTL is anonymous and totally unresponsive. We ask you to write to NTL’s Chief Executive requesting that he/she meets with our group to state their position.
• Advise us as to whether a PPP solution is likely to provide the necessary cable investment in principle.
• Write to BT’s Chief Executive urging that MK is at the top of the 21CN rollout list.
• Lobby the Minister with responsibility for telecommunications to widen Ofcom’s brief to include broadband speeds.
• Lobby for Digital UK’s brief to be similarly widened.
• Continue to lobby the Culture Secretary, since the digital TV switchover agenda could potentially drive the broadband solution too.