Milton Keynes Broadband Action Group

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Questions for BT

There was a meeting with BT Friday 20th February 2004. Beforehand we prepared a list of questions - we now have their answers.

The following questions have been distilled down from 60 emails:

The Questions and BT's Answers

  1. Several members have reported that their dial up speeds have improved over the last couple of months. Is this a side effect of the cabling work BT is undertaking in order for us to get Broadband in MK?

    Achieved dial-up speeds are affected by the electrical characteristics of the cable connecting the customer to the serving telephone exchange. These can vary with time for a number of reasons (including the effect of moisture on joints), and any maintenance or repair work on the network to repair faulty joints. At present there are no specific cabling upgrades to increase broadband availability in Milton Keynes, but any new cabling that is installed as part of BT’s continuing maintenance programme will be “broadband friendly” and may change the end to end electrical characteristics of a customer’s connection to the network.

    The cabling work that has been seen to be underway recently has been part of a general repair and maintenance programme that covers all of BT’s UK network.
     
  2. What's BT's solution to the Milton Keynes Broadband problems? Extra telephone exchanges? New cabling?

    This question is clearly on the BT agenda. We are addressing both Milton Keynes today, and the city’s expansion plans for tomorrow. Consequently, we’re considering both long term solutions/investments and more immediate solutions for today.

    To date we’ve costed and evaluated a number of solutions, some of which raise complex policy or regulatory issues which add to the overall decision making time line. Currently, we’re seeking a solution or set of solutions which can be applied to Milton Keynes, as well as other areas. This means that any given solution must be cost effective if applied nationally. One of our guiding principles is that what we do for one community we must be able to do for the next.

    To answer your question, we hope to run technical evaluations and trials before making a firm commitment to any particular solution. We are planning such evaluations and trials now. The good news is that we believe we have some viable options and look forward to being able to communicate them to you soon.
     
  3. The cabling work seen in Middleton in December, and reported on the BB4MK web site, was incorrectly reported as work being done to provide broadband. Can you say what the work was for? There are no new houses being built in that part of Milton Keynes.

    Work has been undertaken in Middleton and other parts of Milton Keynes as part of a general UK repair and maintenance programme. Please also see the answer to question one.
     
  4. The on-line broadband checker database is so inaccurate! This causes a lot of frustration and delay when applying for Broadband.

    We know of residents that have broadband because they moved house bringing their old number with them. (Their old estate is close to an exchange so broadband was possible. Their new estate is over the 6km distance.)

    This also works in reverse: residents denied broadband when all their neighbours are enjoying broadband.

    Willen Park is an example of the first case; Blue Bridge the second.

    Please sort out the database!

    The web checker is 98% accurate. Unfortunately, BT cannot work on anecdotal evidence but would be willing to investigate any specific examples complete with phone number.

    Please note that the critical measurement is decibel line loss not length of telephone line. Therefore it is possible for a customer to have broadband service and for his neighbour not be able to have it because the former is just inside the line loss limit and the latter isn’t. BT has a clear remit to sell and service reliable broadband service only.
     
  5. If the database is causing people so much grief, why can't BT just do random line tests around Milton Keynes so they can see what's really happening. BT can pick their own sample customers. They don't have to ask - it's all BT's property anyway.

    Isn't it time BT gave up with the poor quality data from the paper records? 

    Please see answer to Q4.
     
  6. What's planned for the East side of Monkston?

    At this stage of our understanding, it is unlikely that the East side of Monkston will need a special plan.
     
  7. What's planned for:
    Loughton 71
    Middleton 69
    Crownhill  52
    Walnut Tree 50
    Great Linford 49
    Kents Hill 45
    Shenley Lodge 42
    Willen 40
    Old Farm Park 36
    Great Holm 31
    Bolbeck Park 28
    Walton Park 28
    Bradwell 27
    Willen Park 26
    Wavendon Gate 20
    Heelands 19
    Bradwell Village 17
    Bradwell Common 13
    Downhead Park 12
    Giffard Park 9
    Pennyland 8
    <The format is "estate name" followed by the number of BB4MK members in that estate.>

    There is an obvious cluster in Loughton and surrounding grid squares. Would this area take precedence?

    It is very encouraging to see such a dispersed and representative BB4MK membership, clearly underlining the fact that MK wants broadband. We are very much aware of the cluster of red lines in Loughton, this estate was one of the first we investigated and which also helped to inform our judgement early on. We would hope to tackle the most problematic areas first in any potential solution roll out.

    Although our analysis of the broadband gaps was undertaken estate by estate, we are now reviewing potential solutions for the whole of the Bradwell Abbey exchange area, rather than on an estate by estate basis. This is because we believe our understanding of the problems coupled with the potential solutions, will have an application wider than just the Bradwell Abbey TE area. Nevertheless we’re still studying specific groupings of broadband problems and know that a solution, which is appropriate to one part of the exchange area, may not be suitable for all the other areas. We’re very focused on identifying the best options and our plans will reflect technical and commercial constraints.
     
  8. How has Bradley Borum has got on since November with auditing the City's cable runs? In November we heard that she had audited 29 of the 52 estates.

    The audit has been completed and is being brought together with other information on broadband reach issues so that a full analysis can be completed.
     
  9. Please clarify BT's national announcement that they will bring BB within reach of 100% of the population by the end of 2005. Does this simply mean that 100% of exchanges will be enabled, or does it mean that 100% of the UK's citizens will be able to receive Broadband services from BT?

    On the 17th November 2003, BT declared that 100 per cent broadband coverage of every UK community is achievable by 2005 if industry and government pull together. It's an objective, a challenge, and BT has pledged to do its part in delivering on that challenge but does need help from others.

    The announcement included extension of the demand registration scheme for ADSL broadband by setting triggers for a further 2,300 exchanges. The scheme drives BT's roll out programme by matching supply to demand: BT sets trigger levels for communities to aim for and upgrades the exchange when registrations for demand hit the trigger. When all trigger exchanges are enabled more than 99 per cent of UK homes and businesses would be served by a broadband enabled exchange.

    At the time of the announcement, Ben Verwaayen, BT Group chief executive, said: "BT's registration scheme has been a world-leading success in focusing new investment where there is demand. We have clear momentum and this, together with our latest understanding of technology and costs and the growing enthusiasm for regional partnerships, means we can take a new approach to broadband investment. We are now in a position to extend trigger levels into the furthest parts of the UK.
     
    "There's no doubt however that many of these trigger levels are very challenging to hit. In some areas, market stimulation alone will not be sufficient to deliver broadband. We are critically dependent on public partnerships to stimulate demand and to intervene with support to get the exchanges enabled. This will be essential to deliver the benefits of broadband to every community. "

    Ben made it clear that to achieve this objective industry, government and technology providers would have to work together, not least in addressing the technical and commercial challenges in getting service to those people in enabled exchange areas but currently unable to get broadband. He referred to the trials of wireless solutions and those to extend the physical reach of DSL from enabled exchanges and the importance of working with public sector bodies to address some of the commercial issues.
     
    Ben Verwaayen said: "One hundred per cent broadband availability must be the goal because of business demand for ICT, the imperative to share knowledge and information quickly and the need to create a genuine knowledge economy.

    "Setting out this clear and achievable goal for the industry will energise the market to the benefit of everyone. Our industry, along with government at all levels, has a huge role to play to accelerate broadband availability, demand and take-up. Working together we can roll out broadband to 100% of communities by 2005."

    Although there is a lot of information about enabling exchanges and trigger levels, hopefully this clarifies the content of the announcement you refer to.
     
  10. A database related question: Residents in Monkston enjoy 512kbps Broadband. Attempting to order 1Mbps is tricky! The database won't let you! The router reports downstream attenuation figures better than 38dB, so it should be well within  limits.

    Unfortunately, BT cannot work on anecdotal evidence but would be willing to investigate any specific examples complete with phone number. [The Group Coordinator will submit his phone number to BT!]
     
  11. Two Telephone customers using Carrier Pre-Selection (CPS) have been switched to Broadband in Monkston. The Broadband connection with their ISP and the Internet is fine, but their phone billing has reverted to BT.

    Will BT take steps to prevent this error happening again?

    Unfortunately, BT cannot work on anecdotal evidence but would be willing to investigate any specific examples complete with phone number.
     
  12. A CPS customer in Willen Park has been chasing our single point of contact for Broadband. Is it true that the CPS customer will not get help as he is not a BT customer? This seems hard to believe that this customer will not get assistance as BT is still responsible for the physical connection.

    A BT customer who has chosen to have a CPS company to switch its calls will need to talk to the CPS Company. This is because under the data protection act, BT is not allowed to view the customer's call account. The only details BT can access is the line rental charge and only for those calls that the customer has chosen to route through BT’s network.
 

The above answers were received from BT on the 9th March 2004.

The BT MK Broadband Challenge Team would like to thank the BB4MK group for their continued interest and patience.

Read about our February Meeting, and our previous meeting in November.

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