SOME of your readers came to the Kennerleigh Parish Meeting on October 6 for the Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) presentation and will have a further chance to question BT, as well CDS, on Tuesday, October 20 at 7pm at Black Dog Memorial Hall.

The good news is that Kennerleigh has been promised Superfast Broadband by May 2016, but many other villages will not be included in Phase One Rollout and most of these have little or no mobile signal either.

Solutions must be found for all residents! In my ward 35 per cent of economically active people work from home or farm and rely on good reliable internet speeds to generate the local economy.

As part of the Community Broadband Engagement I am sending out an electronic Survey of Our Broadband and Digital Needs, the aggregated results of which should strengthen our hand in negotiating solutions for the residents currently excluded from the rollout programme.

I have been contacted today by a resident who has just chosen to move in to Morchard Bishop based on the BT promise that superfast Broadband would be provided from July 2015 BUT the date has now been changed to July 2016! No wonder some of us are sceptical about promises of early rollout to Kennerleigh.

People despair of poor speeds and not being able to download updates or watch BBC iPlayer.

We pay the same high rates as others and get a rubbish service. We want digital fairness.

I’m in contact with a group in rural Lancashire who got fed up waiting for BT so they set up a Community Interest Company and are laying the fibre themselves.

Everyone who signs up is getting broadband at an unbelievable speed of 1,000 megabits!

Dr Al Sutter of Black Dog has written to the Church of England to find out about using church towers for wireless masts. All sorts of ingenious solutions can be found and CDS say they are happy to work with community-led groups to find local solutions.

I recently asked Laurent Boon, Regional Director of BT Broadband Rollout, to clarify for me exactly which parishes would benefit. There is much confusion.

On September 11, he told me face-to-face that Kennerleigh would not get Superfast Broadband contrary to the CDS information. He has since “softened” his approach but you will have the chance to question him directly at the Black Dog meeting.

BT’s Regional Manager Laurent Boon’s Reply to my Questions about Roll Out in our Area.

Laurent Boon wrote: "Please note that this is a guide as I have used settlement names to sample the area, I’m not referring to whole parishes. I used the CDS map extensively though not solely to prepare this so much of the information is available to the public.

• Kennerleigh: Cheriton Fitzpaine V18 (fibre to the premises – location of infrastructure doesn’t affect speed) and is estimated to be live by April 2016. We expect coverage in Kennerleigh and up the road towards Black Dog but not as far as Black Dog. As discussed not every premises will be covered where a solution is not feasible but we expect most of EX17 4RS to be covered. Further investigation has allayed my concern about the extent of the coverage for this scheme. The final delivery to the area will only be known once the scheme is complete because both problems and opportunities can be encountered right up to the last minute. Once the scheme has gone live (see CDS map and other communications from CDS) residents and businesses should check with their service provider to confirm availability.

• Morchard Bishop: Morchard Bishop 1 is near the middle of Morchard Bishop (fibre to the cabinet – network re-arrangement) and is expected to be live by July 2016

• Eastington: No coverage

• Thelbridge: Witheridge 4 is near Thelbridge Cross and is expected live by January 2016 (fibre to the cabinet)

• Black Dog: Too far from Witheridge 4, no speed improvement

• Puddington: No coverge

• Nomansland: No coverage

• Sandford: Crediton 10 is near the middle of Sandford and is live (fibre to the cabinet)

• East Village: No coverage

• Stockleigh English: No coverage

• Upton Helions: Hard to tell

• Yarmleigh: No coverage

• New Buildings: No coverage

• Washford Pyne: No coverage

• Woolfardisworthy (Woolsery): No coverage.

Where there are no plans under the current programme the options for the community are to wait for phase two or engage with BT to privately gap fund coverage. I’d be happy to discuss this gap fund option further."

My blog is: www.cllrjudibinks.wordpress.com where you will find a link to our online petition and get updates.

We must find solutions to include all our residents in digital communications.

If this affects you, please come to the meeting and listen to the options.

Cllr Judi Binks

Sandford and Creedy Ward

Kennerleigh

• Editor’s note: Cheriton Fitzpaine and Copplestone areas were recently announced as being among the latest communities to receive fibre broadband Connecting Devon and Somerset confirmed. The connection of fibre broadband cabinets and laid optical fibres will now enable most of the residents in those areas the ability to achieve superfast broadband speeds.