FRUSTRATION over slow internet speed and delays in the announcement of the next phase of upgrades in rural areas has led to at least one community taking matters into their own hands.
People in Boldron, who generally have an internet speed of less than one megabit a second, are hoping to tap into a government scheme to get the village hooked up to superfast broadband.
Spearheaded by residents Simon Baker and Iain Baxter the aim is to establish a “community fibre partnership” to access government cash to lay new cables to the village.
Mr Baker said the current cables were laid in the 1940s, are not the usual copper cables, and do not run directly to the village.
He added that during the day, when few people are home, internet speed can reach just over 1mb/s, but generally the speed is about 0.6mb/s.
He said: “I have a global job. If we want to do a video call that is out.
“I have to use the mobile. It makes life difficult.
“We are so used to being neglected – the village doesn’ t even have gas – you get to the point where you live with what everyone else would find unacceptable,” he added.
Some people in the village use a “dongle” to access the internet using mobile data, but this can be expensive.
Mr Baker said: “If you want cheap internet, you don't move to Boldron.”
Through creating a community fibre partnership each home can access up to £500 and each business up to £3,000 towards installing new fibre cables to the village.
Mr Baxter said: “At this stage there is absolutely no commitment on anybody’s part to fund and complete the works but in order to investigate the options further we need to give an indication of the actual properties within the Boldron community who may be interested in connecting to the new fibre broadband supply.
“Based on this information BT OpenReach will do an initial costing estimate to enable us to consider if we wish to continue progressing the project.”
If enough people are interested and the costing is feasible, the plan is to chat to landowners along the lane between Boldron and Startforth about laying the cable through their fields, said Mr Baker.
Anyone from Boldron interested in getting involved can contact Mr Baxter on 07471 652050 or email iainbaxter55 @yahoo.com.
The government also offers a scheme where people can apply for up to £350 towards hardware and installation costs for alternative broadband, such as satellite technology.
