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<blockquote data-quote="wolsty" data-source="post: 1568" data-attributes="member: 175166">About two years ago, one of the telecoms companies (I think it was BT but am not sure, so it could have been Cable and Wireless) dug up most of Cornwall's roads to install fibre optic cables from the points where submarine cables come ashore in the far west.&nbsp; The traffic chaos was unbelievable.&nbsp; On one 5 mile stretch of road which I travelled twice daily, there were often three sets of traffic lights at a time, continuously, for a period of six months.&nbsp; At one time, having dug up and reinstated a particularly bad stretch, the company came back a few weeks later and repeated the exercise because they'd done it wrong the first time.&nbsp; Even now, two years on, we still have the occasional jam caused by men in manholes fiddling with the connections.&nbsp; From where I sit in my little office I can see the marks in the road where the cables are laid.&nbsp; Goonhilly is less than ten miles away.&nbsp; But can I get broadband?&nbsp; Can I bloody hell!&nbsp; BT couldn't give a shit about us poor buggers out in the sticks who use ICT for work and play.&nbsp; Enter my postcode on the bit of the ntl site which proclaims the benefits of broadband and 'they're sorry, but it's not yet available in your area'.&nbsp; I particularly like the 'yet' qualification.&nbsp; As things stand, if I 'phone my daughter in America, the signal goes along copper cables up to London and then comes back, past my front door, on fibre optics for transmission across the pond by submarine cable or satellite link.&nbsp; You think I'm bitter?&nbsp; Too bloody right.Anything I can do to shake the complacency of the telecoms providers I will gladly do, so I'll register.&nbsp; But I don't expect to be on broadband this side of 2010.Grumpily.wolsty</blockquote>

[QUOTE="wolsty, post: 1568, member: 175166"] About two years ago, one of the telecoms companies (I think it was BT but am not sure, so it could have been Cable and Wireless) dug up most of Cornwall's roads to install fibre optic cables from the points where submarine cables come ashore in the far west. The traffic chaos was unbelievable. On one 5 mile stretch of road which I travelled twice daily, there were often three sets of traffic lights at a time, continuously, for a period of six months. At one time, having dug up and reinstated a particularly bad stretch, the company came back a few weeks later and repeated the exercise because they'd done it wrong the first time. Even now, two years on, we still have the occasional jam caused by men in manholes fiddling with the connections. From where I sit in my little office I can see the marks in the road where the cables are laid. Goonhilly is less than ten miles away. But can I get broadband? Can I bloody hell! BT couldn't give a shit about us poor buggers out in the sticks who use ICT for work and play. Enter my postcode on the bit of the ntl site which proclaims the benefits of broadband and 'they're sorry, but it's not yet available in your area'. I particularly like the 'yet' qualification. As things stand, if I 'phone my daughter in America, the signal goes along copper cables up to London and then comes back, past my front door, on fibre optics for transmission across the pond by submarine cable or satellite link. You think I'm bitter? Too bloody right. Anything I can do to shake the complacency of the telecoms providers I will gladly do, so I'll register. But I don't expect to be on broadband this side of 2010. Grumpily. wolsty [/QUOTE]

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