Reply to: Superfast rural broadband may cost taxpayer £1bn

[Pickle2]

Will the bumpkins stop whinging about fox hunting now then?

[TykeMerc]

I doubt that £1bn would get universal broadband coverage even at todays ADSL speeds let alone 50 meg.

That said it's high time Britain got some sizable infrastructure improvements in telecoms, transport and services as we're lagging well behind many First world countries in all of these areas.

[AtW]

Laying a cable over 40 miles then laying it 1 mile from the main road is not what the country should be spending money on.

Wireless can deal with the last mile - but you need high quality fiber optics backbone not that far off houses: there is no capacity in networks in this country thats why BT gives like 20-40 GB traffic - it's total joke.

£1 bln is not a lot of money to get universal broadband coverage, if its use is spread over 20 years then it works out about £1 per UK person per year.

[minestrone]

You can't have 200 mph link build to every small island, it would cost £20 bln just to have mainline going through London/Birmingham/Manchester/Glasgow.

With broadband however it is possible to link up even fairly remote places.

It cost a fortune to get mains electricity to some of these houses, a phone was seen as a luxury. Laying a cable over 40 miles then laying it 1 mile from the main road is not what the country should be spending money on.

[AtW]

A high speed rail link is exactly what people in the islands have been asking for. You have the finger on the pulse of rural economies.

You can't have 200 mph link build to every small island, it would cost £20 bln just to have mainline going through London/Birmingham/Manchester/Glasgow.

With broadband however it is possible to link up even fairly remote places.

[minestrone]

Look, I don't live in Scotland either but I do support high speed rail link that would finally give this country quick service like people enjoy in Japan, France, Germany. It will cost £20 bln but it will connect this country and help make it stronger.

You might lack some strategic thinking (among other things) to understand the important of such things, but thankfully even Labour Govt gets it.

A high speed rail link is exactly what people in the islands have been asking for. You have the finger on the pulse of rural economies.

[AtW]

So the governemnt 'bailed out the banks' and you are getting excited about a billion that 'could' be spent in an area of the country you have never lived in.

Look, I don't live in Scotland either but I do support high speed rail link that would finally give this country quick service like people enjoy in Japan, France, Germany. It will cost £20 bln but it will connect this country and help make it stronger.

You might lack some strategic thinking (among other things) to understand the important of such things, but thankfully even Labour Govt gets it.

[minestrone]

And? It cost 150-300 times more to bail out banks and you get from this higher charges, at least broadband will remain for a long time.

So the governemnt 'bailed out the banks' and you are getting excited about a billion that 'could' be spent in an area of the country you have never lived in.

Hell, what is a billion? Can you not see that this is an empty promise?

[AtW]

It's all very noble but it would cost millions upon millions to even cover the island where I grew up

And? It cost 150-300 times more to bail out banks and you get from this higher charges, at least broadband will remain for a long time.

[minestrone]

It might be bollocks for you, but personally I never move house before I check that my preferred ISP is present in that area.

There are enough people in country side who want to get faster broadband, ADSL2 does not help there much because of distances, so laying down fiber is really the only way.

High speed Net coverage should be as good as TV.

It's all very noble but it would cost millions upon millions to even cover the island where I grew up, we got our papers at 10 when the ferry came in and milk was delivered in bags, there was never a desire to move to the mainland so I am not so sure why mandelson has this "You will have broadband" thinking comes from. Votes probably.

[AtW]

Yeah. One of the attractions might be a lack of high speed broadband, and all the things and people that go with it!

If you don't want high speed broadband or TV you don't get it - it's your personal choice and you can exercise it even in cities. However when you DO want high speed broadband in rural areas you don't have a good choice right now and never will unless it's subsidised in some way.

£1 bln over 20 years is £50 mln per month, there are far more expensive and useless projects funded by the taxpayer.

[expat]

I thought folk moved to the country for a more relaxed pace of life?

Ridiculous

Yeah. One of the attractions might be a lack of high speed broadband, and all the things and people that go with it!

[thelace]

I thought folk moved to the country for a more relaxed pace of life?

Ridiculous

[AtW]

It might be bollocks for you, but personally I never move house before I check that my preferred ISP is present in that area.

There are enough people in country side who want to get faster broadband, ADSL2 does not help there much because of distances, so laying down fiber is really the only way.

High speed Net coverage should be as good as TV.

[minestrone]

One of the reasons people might not want to live in rural areas is lack of high speed broadband - it's a must these days, so not having it there (and companies won't invest due to low demand right now) pretty much dooms them.

If a hotel in rural area can't provide high speed broadband to business guests, then just how good is it for business?

£1 bln is nothing considering it will bring good stuff for 20-30 years, that's £30 mln per year - very low price.

Bollocks.

I grew up on an Island, you had to walk a mile to get to a phone. I never noticed anyone say 'I am going to move to a city so I can get a phone line in'.

It is another step in the 'townies' tell the country how they should exist.