Superfast coverage . . . but not for all

Superfast Berkshire aims to provide 79 per cent of premises across the district with speeds of up to 24mbps and connect the remaining areas on speeds of at least 2mbps by autumn 2015.
The project is part of the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK scheme to extend coverage across the country and will run alongside commercial roll-outs.
Funding for the Berkshire scheme has come from BDUK, local authorities, BT and the Thames Valley Local Enterprise Project.
The importance of broadband in rural areas was raised by Kintbury photographer Maria Dobson who said that she had suffered with download speeds of 0.70mbps from a satellite connection when her family moved to the village from Newbury.
Mrs Dobson, a camera club member, said she had taken pictures of Newbury’s Twin Town celebration last month but had struggled to send the pictures electronically.
“I had to drive in to Newbury and physically upload the pictures to their computer and sometimes I can’t even open emails to deal with requests. In this day and age, with technology as it is, I can’t see why it will take so long to upgrade it.”
An £8m contract was signed by leading members of Berkshire’s six local authorities involved in the scheme and BT last week.
Speaking at the signing at Shaw House on Friday, West Berkshire Council’s executive for ICT, Roger Croft, said that area covered in West Berkshire would equate to over 14,000 premises receiving the upgrade.
“Nearly every parish in West Berkshire has benefitted and some very significantly, which is good. Extending fast broadband to the rural areas of West Berkshire will benefit a large number of businesses and households who will welcome it for a host of social uses.”
But criticism has come from parishes who have lost out to the scheme - despite registering villagers interest and raising thousands of pounds towards the project.
Disappointment was expressed by the chairman of Aldermaston parish council, David Shirt, who said: “We’re hardly out in the sticks here. We have a lot of people working from home in the village. We’re on a main trunk road and classed as a sustainable service village with over 1,000 parishoners. If we don’t qualify for it then who does?”
Mr Shirt said that the parish council would be writing to the MP for Newbury, Richard Benyon to express its dissatisfaction.
For more on the broadband backlash, including comments that rural areas will become "digital deserts", see this week's Newbury Weekly News.