Gloucester Community Demands Superfast Broadband From BT

A campaign has been launched by members of a community in Gloucester who want better broadband speeds. Residents and businesses in Cooper's Edge, near Brockworth, have claimed that their broadband rates rarely exceed 1.5Mb.

Downloading files, streaming content and using Internet-based infrastructure is a struggle at such low speeds, the campaign, named the "Cooper's Edge Fibre Upgrade Campaign", claims.

James Scott, the co-founder of the campaign, said, "The broadband connection in Cooper's Edge is diabolical and for years we have been promised that a fibre optic connection will be installed, but it keeps getting pushed back.

"Some people in Cooper's Edge work as web developers at home and the slow broadband speeds are stopping them from making a living."

The group is specifically targeting BT, and is urging the company to include Gloucester in the new superfast rollout. Plans were in place to improve the connection by the end of the year, but have been put on hold until further notice.

The way BT and the government have handled the superfast rollout was recently criticised by MP Margaret Hodge and the PAC, who reserved especially heavy rhetoric for BT's "monopoly" in the UK.

A BT spokesman, talking to the Gloucester Citizen, said, "The broadband connection in this area is due to be upgraded to fibre optic broadband as part of BT's £2.5 billion investment programme to bring faster fibre broadband to two-thirds of the UK.

"The precise date that the upgrade will go live is not currently available, but readers interested in upgrading should continue to check with their chosen service provider for updates."