Posted: 14th Aug, 2007 By: MarkJ
Strikingly Wales is often held up by some as having one of the highest broadband accessibility rates in the UK. Sadly this does not apply everywhere as the villages of Dolfor and Llaithddu have been pointing out.
Both claim that local businesses could face thousands of pounds worth of costs because of BTs failure to introduce broadband in the areas:
Stagecraft, the UKs leading supplier of garden centre display equipment, said it was assured broadband would work at its Llaithddu factory, but eventually had it withdrawn by BT, after the connection became unreliable.
Tom Davis, Stagecrafts managing director, said, "Initially the Welsh Assembly Government offered grants to help businesses obtain broadband connections. In areas where broadband was difficult to obtain through a telephone connection the grants could be used to purchase a satellite dish or a microwave connection, but BT came along and promised to connect everyone in Wales so the grants were withdrawn.
"We have been left high and dry by BT and what is really annoying is that you speak to one division of the company and they blame another division."
The
icWales piece reports that an alternative solution, using wireless technology, has been proposed to BT and ignored; no doubt it part related to its not unreasonable £20,000 maximum cost.
Businesses want BT to pay for it and the operator doesnt want to, yet in an area where the nearest exchange is nearly 12KM away (too far for ADSL) there arent many options open. Sadly pleas for help by local politicians and the Mid Wales Manufacturing Group have gone largely unnoticed by BT.