BT Wholesale supportive of comunity networks - not!

ISPreview reports that Sally Davis, head of BT Wholesale, is advising the government not to rush to give money to smaller ISPs to build rural fibre access network.

She seems to be worried that once built, BT will have problems providing its services over a "patchwork" (her word) of access networks.  She seems oblivious to the fact that these communities aren't simply putting in access networks to do BT's job for them; they may not want (or need) BT's services at all.

It isn't suprising that BT should be discouraging competitors, but what is galling is BT's assumption that they should be the recipient of any government subsidies to build out their monopoly network, and the arrogance that we should be waiting our turn before BT deigns to sell their limited choice of overpriced services to us.

Open letter to the Fast Capel Broadband campaign

Fast Capel Broadband Campaign
The Village Cottage, Coldharbour
DORKING, RH5 6HD

3rd January, 2011

I read today on BT's Race To Infinity web site that, by BT's measure, Capel's campaign wasn't successful.
 

It may not have met BT's target but it did demonstrate the demand for better Internet access and the resolve of local residents to work together to achieve this.  There is now an opportunity to leverage the support that the campain mustered to go beyond BT's idea of "Infinity."