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Thursday 19 June 2008

Fiberevolution

I would say that we are in no way affiliated with Fiberevolution.com, but of course we are, because they are covering the same issue, but from a more global perspective.

However, we are 1) British (and therefore spell 'fibre' correctly!) and 2)looking from a consumer/citizen/community angle whilst Fiberevolution are industry. Since the very early days of Digital Dales events, I have pursued the formula of Industry + government + community/citizen/consumer, and with Fiberevolution's existence comes one way of ensuring that all stakeholders communicate in these times of fibre evolution and revolution.

Not one to miss opportunities to plagiarise (read:link to) other people's resources, here is the Ofcom Consumer Panel video "Contrasting experiences of broadband" which begins to give a picture for consumers of how others feel about the current situation.

"It’s absolutely pants – but there’s nothing I can do about it” is of course the statement which got not a round of applause as Dave Brunnen states in his article but laughter, sighs of frustration, a smidgen of desperation and, seemingly, may have turned a few lightbulbs on in that hellish hot conference room. At long last. I suspect that a few lightbulbs may have also been extinguished - those who feel the time is not right (no proof of demand), those who constantly make the case for 'investment but not now', or those who think that their next ADSL 2+ or asymmetric broadband product is going to cut the mustard.

After all, when customers over La Manche are getting speed tests like this, it is hardly likely that UK consumers are going to be slow in saying that our speed tests showing a download speed of 0.5-4Mbps and an upload fo 256kbps are just, well, too slow.

"There's nothing I can do about it" is of course the reason for the original Access to Broadband Campaign, Community Broadband Network, and this latest attempt to chivy regulators, consumers, and industry to action.

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