[Hudlug] The great Huddersfield Broadband Survey

[Chris Wood]

I'm often hearing grumbles from people about the lack of broadband
availability in the Huddersfield area. I have to admit that I've never
paid much attention, as I've been lucky until now - my current flat in
the middle of the town has ADSL.

However, I'm looking to move further out in the next few months, and
having got used to a broadband connection, I don't think that I could go
back to a modem!

As you are a computer literate bunch, I guess a good proportion of you
have either got some form of broadband connection, or have at least
tried and failed to get one.

I'd like to hear how you got on.

I've already done some homework with BT's availability checker, and some
sample postcodes gleaned from streetmap.co.uk, so I've got a reasonable
idea of what BT claims to be available. It'll be interesting to see how
this differs in practice.

I've no info at the current time as to what streets/areas have been
cabled by NTL, as their online availability checker seems to be a bit
less useful than BT's. If you know the info, or know where I can get it
from, please let me know. You can also help by telling me whether your
street has cable, regardless of whether you use it or not.

If enough of you are kind enough to share your information, I'll put
together and send you a report showing where you can get broadband in
the area, and where not. 
I'll also try getting the info onto the hudlug website and those local
interest websites that are floating around, so that as many people as
possible get to see the data.

If you are willing to help, please complete the questions below, then
email them to me personally at chris@thesprocket.org.

I promise that I'll treat your answers confidentially, and any report
produced will not link you to the data presented in any way.
I'm sure you get the idea!
If you are on the hudlug mailing list, and want to share your info with
everyone else, then feel free to email your reply to the list - I'll
still use the data collected this way.

If you know someone else in the area that has had broadband experiences,
forward this email to them as well, and badger them to complete it - the
more info we have, the more accurate we can be!

I assume that if you answer these questions, you have at least
*attempted* to get one or more forms of broadband connection. Otherwise
it's a pointless waste of your time...

Ok, here goes...

* What is your postcode?
[If you are shy, the first part and the sector will do (i.e. HD1 1), or
alternatively the name of the street and the general area.
This info is important, as it helps to pinpoint areas of availability]

* Are you using NTL cable for broadband access?

* If so, what line speed do you have?

* If you are not using NTL, is cable available in your street?

* Have you attempted to get ADSL at your location?

* If yes, did BT's online availability checker say that ADSL was
available at your location?
[Any info, such as 'long distance from exchange indicated' would be
useful]

* If you applied to get ADSL, did your line pass the BT survey?
[If not, reason given for failure would be appreciated]

* Did your line pass BT's survey but still fail to get installed for
some technical reason?
[This happened to me in London - details of your experiences please!]

* Have you successfully had an ADSL line installed for broadband
connectivity?

* If yes, please supply the area code and the 1st two digits of your
phone number.
[This allows me to figure out which exchange you are connected to.
If you know the exchange location (The Huddersfield area has more than
one!), feel free to tell me this instead]

* If you are using ADSL, what line speed do you have? Have you been told
that higher line speeds are not available?

* Have you tried to get or are you using some other form of connectivity
other than cable/ADSL or a standard modem?
[Maybe some of you have ISDN or leased lines. Anyone got a trial SDSL
line or perhaps wireless broadband from NTL? Doubt they are available
here, but who knows...]

* Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?

Thanks for your time, and the info you have given.
When I produce the report, I'll send you a copy.

Cheers!

Chris
-- 
Chris Wood <chris@thesprocket.org>