Swalcliffe Exchange User Group Launch Newsletter

Would your household benefit from Superfast Broadband’?

If you live in Tadmarton, Swalcliffe, Shutford, Epwell or The Sibfords your telephone exchange is Swalcliffe.

The Swalcliffe Exchange User Group, supported by Sibford Gower and Sibford Ferris PCs, is gathering information to put together a bid for funds to have our exchange area upgraded to Superfast Broadband. Our current service to many households is probably satisfactory by today’s standards but, as the services available on the internet get ever more varied and sophisticated, the bandwidth (broadband speed) required to access those services will increase beyond that available from our exchange. As an example, to stream HDTV (watch high definition TV on the internet) requires a bandwidth of approximately 3.5Mbps. Already the majority of our community cannot access this service because of the limitations of our exchange, many cannot even access SDTV (standard definition TV) as the bandwidth available to their household is less than 1.5Mbps. (See broadband map at thesibfords.org.uk/bbsurvey. Please contribute to the survey by clicking on “Contact Paul” and leaving me a message).

If we do not win funding for the exchange to be upgraded to Superfast broadband we will not be upgraded in any way for the foreseeable future. This means that our access to broadband services will diminish as more users try to access more services from our already out of date and overloaded exchange. Our bid may be made either through a scheme run by Oxon CC, or the Rural Community Broadband Fund (RCBF). in either case we need to begin by establishing the demand in three user categories: homes, businesses and public organisations. Your contribution is essential if we are to win the funding we need. Please register your interest by sending us your email address and user category.

Superfast Broadband (40Mbps) has already reached Broughton, don’t let our communities get left behind in the communications slow lane, please register now and encourage others to do so.

… more from old Sibford Scenes