The Broadband for Leicestershire campaign has now run the majority of the course. As a result of campaign pressure, and subsequent intervention through the Broadband Business Fund, 99.9% of Leicestershire residents can access broadband internet through the telephone system. This represents a highly successful campaign which has resulted in almost the whole county now being able to take advantage of the improved internet service provision afforded by broadband access.
However, that leaves the 0.1% who for one reason or another still cannot receive broadband. It seems that there are a couple of different technological reasons why this is so, neither of which have solutions imminent.
The first is simple distance from the exchange: this has always been a problem with ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) Broadband. BT are working on extending the range of ADSL, but even with a planned extension there will still be a small number of people too far from an exchange to access it.
The second is less clear but is essentially to do with the physical quality of the telephone line infrastructure. This problem also seems to be insoluble at present.
In both instances there are two things to be said. The first is that if and when BT provide a solution the County Council will endeavour to inform residents and businesses. The second is that in the meantime the County Council will continue to seek to provide a solution, irrespective of BT's plans.
Now that the vast majority of the County CAN access broadband, it is in the interests of Leicestershire - socially and economically - to take increasing advantage of the benefits it can bring.
| County | Availability | Take Up |
|---|---|---|
| Derbyshire | 99.50% | 19.90% |
| Leicestershire | 99.90% | 19.40% |
| Lincolnshire | 96.50 | 20.20% |
| Northamptonshire | 100.00% | 25.00% |
| Nottinghamshire | 99.80% | 14.10% |
(NB. Take-up in Leicestershire is low partly due to the inclusion of Rutland, where take-up is significantly lower)
If you are interested in how to encourage people to start using broadband internet, you might like to visit the DEFRA Rural Affairs Broadband Site for further ideas and information.
You may also like to read our standard County Council Disclaimer.