BT Chairman only man in village able to get broadband

By Ben Hurst on Dec 1, 09 11:00 AM

British Telecom (BT) has defended the fact that its chairman is the only person in his village with broadband internet access.

Sir Michael Rake's connection is part of a trial which it is hoped could eventually help other residents in Hambleden, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

A BT spokesman said the telephone exchange the village is connected to has been enabled with broadband, not only by itself but by other companies.

However, the distance to the exchange has made it impossible to provide a reliable broadband service, as broadband speeds deteriorate over long lines.

A BT spokesman said: "Trials of new technologies are often conducted among a company's own staff so there is nothing unusual in this situation.

"BT has learnt a lot through the trial the chairman participated in and hopefully those lessons will benefit the residents of Hambleden in due course."

He said that the company has "sympathy" for residents in Hambleden, but said they were trying to overcome the "technical challenge".

The spokesman added: "The Government has indicated that funds will be made available to help the small number of locations such as Hambleden that cannot access broadband, and so BT hopes to be able to find a solution for the village with such support."