Fashion Contrast

Cumbria its fair to say is a nice place – the kind of British Tourist resort which each year sees thousands of visitor trample over its beautiful scenery. The Majority of its residents are rurally based which of course has its pros and cons, there is even a dedicated tourism website. Its also fair to say that despite it being a technically rural community, it isn’t in the dark ages when it comes to the recent digital revolution. Yes, you can use and buy a mobile phone and even a Computer or perhaps is your truly self important a Netbook.

Now im fairly interested in technology and especially the advancements in mobile connectivity all across the UK. WiMAX is one such technology.

Right, so lets not get to interested in a technology which poor old Cumbria cant get. At present Cumbria is really struggling to get any form of fast online connection. With Speeds running to just 2Mbps. Which obviously is not ideal and slightly frustrating.

Rory Cellan-Jones one of the BBC’s technology Journalists recently traveled to Cumbria to speak to a project where local people are joining in the work, manually to install a 20Mbps connection for all.

For the Video in question please click here(Damn HTML Stealing Which hashes things up!)

Lindsey Annison is one such online speed reformer:

On a really good day I can get a 1Mbps connection but you can’t do anything with it. I can’t use Skype for example, Outlying farms can’t get anything…

As I said earlier Cumbria has by no means been bypassed by the Digital Revolution. For Example the North West Development Agency last year spent £19m on a wireless Mobile Broadband and running hardwired fibre optic cable to a deprived estate near Carlisle.

In Ms Annisons words this has been a failure.

It hasn’t made the slightest bit of difference. I haven’t found anyone in Cumbria who is getting a connection off of that wireless network…

Daniel Heery is a self proclaimed ‘fibre warrior’ who is running a project named ‘Fibre Moor‘ which is community run and built. Locals are helping to dig trenches and lay cable . There are roughly 1000 houses in the are which will eventually benefit, at present by the end of summer 2009 only 20 houses however will be connected.

As Mr Heery says…

Community led approaches things like a farmer lending a day of time to dig trench can save a fortune. Alas, in a world of litigation and health and safety rules this may carry risks. They could damage an existing infrastructure, or cause an accident…

Subscribers to the scheme will have to pay £100 to upgrade there connection which is currently a wireless connection giving speeds of ‘up‘ to 2Mbps. Long term prices have not been agreed but Mr. Heery has said the premium services prices will not be ‘astronomical’.

I think this type of community-led option will be the only option in rural areas. Local people can drive take-up levels. We have local people doing it and they will tell their mates and that kind of word-of-mouth will be vital.

Please click here for more information on this subject.