An idea to provide free wireless internet to homes and businesses in Bromyard would not be difficult to set up, according to one local councillor.
Alan Seldon says the service would provide endless opportunities for growth, especially for businesses in the town, but the project’s success would depend on investment from British Telecom (BT).
“It is good to see that finally, broadband is being seen as one of the essential utilities,” he said.
“Living in a rural area, this should, in my view, have been a priority years ago.”
Cllr Seldon has pointed to a scheme in Swindon, which provides wireless internet to the town’s 186,000 residents through access points mounted on lamp posts.
“For Bromyard it would be an ideal solution,” he said.
“If they can do it, so can we. All we need is a little vision and someone who is prepared to invest a little.”
The cost to install the scheme in Swindon cost around £1 million which was raised partly through private investment and funding from the local borough council.
Swindon however, unlike Bromyard, has been earmarked to receive BT’s ‘superfast’ broadband as soon as summer next year, as soon as fibre-optic cabling work has been completed.
BT aims to connect 10million homes to the new service by summer 2012 but no firm commitment has been made for Herefordshire.
Councillor Seldon has publicly questioned BT’s commitment to broadband provision in the county and says their participation would be key to any successful project of this type.
Capacity
He said: “We do need to get BT to make sure the telephone exchange has a high speed, high capacity fibre link.
“Then we need to persuade someone to invest in the hardware and a few licenses and off we go.
“The technology exists. All we need is the will and a little bit of money.”
Councillor Seldon says there is potential for the rural areas surrounding Bromyard to receive a similar kind of service although this would need to take on a different format.