Ewelme News Articles
The following articles are reproduced here as an informative link from the '4G versus Cable' page. They are printed in published copies of the Ewelme News, and also appear in the Broadband section of www.ewelme.info
June/July 2012
March 2012 - Ewelme broadband
Hands up everyone who glazes over at the words "local
government"! Sadly we don't generally associate parish, district
or county councils with getting things done creatively, quickly
and inexpensively, do we? Be honest!
Well, prepare for a shock, and to make an apology. OCC has put a handful of its best people together to come up with a fast-track plan to bring next generation access to Ewelme and RAF Benson families. Your parish council's nominees have been pestering all the powers-that-be, as you know, but it has taken a collective brainwave with OCC on creative funding to break the logjam and free up enabling government grants.
"Oh yes", I hear you say, "in which century?"
Well, once agreements are signed between OCC and BT the sooner next generation access in Ewelme will be available. The intention is to be up and running by the end of this year. Yes! 2012. By the time the Ewelme News is delivered, this should all be well in hand.
It'll take about 7 months for Openreach to put in the kit in the village from the time the agreement is formalised.
But this is your success too. Had you not taken ownership of Ewelme's future by backing the 2008 Village Action Plan details, and had you not bothered to express your views on the various broadband surveys, we could not have presented a professional case. We, together, did the groundwork which gave the community's endorsement to OCC in total honesty to free up the quite modest funding needed.
We have demonstrated that a community can take charge of its destiny. It needs a champion or two and needs professional skills to turn woolly hopes into business reality. So, what that'll mean to Ewelme is:-
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House sales and rentals will be easier
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Businesses will stay and develop.
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Local jobs may develop
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Children will be able to get their school work
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Working and further education from home will be easy
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Commuting and travel costs will be avoided.
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Our carbon (green) impact will be reduced
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Non-drivers (young and old) will have excellent entertainment in the home
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Access to health care advice will work
That seems a good list of benefits. Maybe we can come up with other ideas to help residents (and of course that includes RAF Benson) such as creating a virtual youth club.
We can't sit on our collective bottoms. we need to try all ideas which will justify the initial capital investments made by BT and OCC to bring the 4th utility to our doorsteps.
Thank you, Alexandra Bailey and martin Tugwell, for joining with us to make it happen. We are lucky to find such "can do" people working with our community.
Neil Blake
Ewelme Broadband
Once again we have to report disappointment in our efforts to bring fast (or in some cases, any kind of) broadband via telephone lines to the village. It is hard to know what is happening at the level of the County Council and BT top management. We understand that the County Council was willing to fund a service to the village as a pilot project. However, neither BT nor any other possible supplier could be persuaded to respond.
So, unfortunately, it looks as though implementation is at least a year away and the hopes raised earlier have, yet again, not been fulfilled. In the meantime, a solution is available in most parts of the village via mobile broadband operator Three. This is different from connecting with a mobile phone and will enable most people access to all the high speed functions offered by standard landline broadband. This can be obtained on a rolling monthly or an 18-month contract. Contact Chris Jenkins (01491 828200) for more information.
Neil Blake and David Cooper