An unwanted and wasteful double helping for some but nothing at all for others in need.
Villagers in Kirkoswald and Great Salkeld are baffled and annoyed after work was carried out supposedly to provide them with high-speed broadband services — despite the fact that, thanks largely to their own efforts, they already have excellent internet connectivity.
Meanwhile, the fight for decent broadband continues for other villages in Eden which were well on their way to achieving this goal before a voucher scheme was withdrawn at short notice under the last government.
It was thanks to this system and the involvement of a not-for-profit company called B4RN that Kirkoswald, Great Salkeld and other Eden communities got full fibre broadband in recent years, while for some others, like Lazonby, efforts to get a B4RN network continue.
All the B4RN infrastructure is underground, with most of the trench digging and cable installation carried out by villagers.
However, the villages of Ormside, Warcop, Hilton and Murton, near Appleby, were left in limbo as to whether they will receive high-speed broadband under what is called Project Gigabit.
They had previously been on the verge of getting hyperfast broadband through B4RN, until the government vouchers were pulled.
The issue has been taken up by Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron, who has called for either the B4RN scheme to be allowed to proceed or Fibrus to give a date by which they will be connected.
Regarding the situation in Great Salkeld, Fibrus has sent letters to villagers informing them of its intentions and some infrastructure work has been carried out.
Villager Beverley Pink, who initiated the B4RN project in the community, said: “I couldn’t believe it when I learnt that some residents were in receipt of a letter saying works are to be carried out by a company called Viberoptix, working on behalf of internet provider Fibrus.
“The letter further states that this has been made possible by Building Digital UK (BDUK) government funding. I was surprised to hear this, since our parish already benefits from being part of a B4RN community broadband project and every household, no matter how remote, already has access to the network at very reasonable rates.
“The B4RN project was only possible with the support of a government-funded voucher scheme, along with lots of local volunteer input. We have, therefore, already benefited from public funding, so I was shocked to find that BDUK are now paying for a second set of fibre cables to be laid.
“This work is expensive and it is a monumental waste of money for a second network to be laid, at vast public expense, when there are other areas in Cumbria with very poor connectivity who would benefit greatly from this spending.”
One of the Kirkoswald villagers behind the B4RN scheme in Kirkoswald is also puzzled and annoyed — particularly since a large and unsightly green cabinet was installed beside his house this summer by Viberoptix.
Kevin Tea said: “This makes no sense whatsoever — it’s totally unnecessary and nobody in the village will benefit. The vast majority of people in KO are signed up to B4RN, apart from a few who are still with BT or don’t want to be connected at all.
“The cabinet is far too big for its purpose, and in any case Fibrus has made no attempt to sign people up. In fact their website says there is no service available here.”
Kevin added that there was no consultation before the work was carried out by Viberoptix, with workmen simply turning up to install the cabinet and dig up roads in parts of the village. They later had to return several times to complete the job.
On the homepage of the Fibrus website, it says: “Communities are at the heart of everything we do, every decision we make, and every action we take.”
A Fibrus spokesman said: “Fibrus is committed to adopting the most effective and least impactful network build solutions possible to connect premises in Cumbria.
“Therefore, we use existing infrastructure to minimise disruption wherever possible.
“In this instance, the cabinet in Kirkoswald conforms to safety and planning requirements and is located on our backhaul route to maximise the use of existing infrastructure.
“The placement of this cabinet allows residents from 300 premises in villages nearby, who did not previously have access, to enjoy the benefits of full fibre broadband.”
