Government to intervene ?

[Scott]

Well spank my bottom until it goes purple !
This piece of news had me spitting up my lunch time coffee I can tell you !!

Whooo!

[Rik]

It's a politician, Scott. Don't get too excited.

[Gary]

Well spank my bottom until it goes purple !
This piece of news had me spitting up my lunch time coffee I can tell you !!

Whooo!

Is there really a Minister for Competitiveness  surely by default we need a Minister for Over Competitiveness to balance it out!

[Lance]

Well spank my bottom until it goes purple !

Whilst I agree that the government needs to intervene and utimately foot the bill for part of it, I can't see it happening in reality.

[Gary]

Whilst I agree that the government needs to intervene and utimately foot the bill for part of it, I can't see it happening in reality.

I have to agree with you Lance, lots of hot air to make people think something will happen but in  respect if people have never experienced even 24mb lines then who is going to really notice, 40% of the country I read somewhere says it has no need for Broadband and dialup is just fine, with that apathy the UK will just slip quietly behind as usual and that will be that.

[Rik]

I suspect the driving force will be commerce. Firms will be keen to sell us VOD services etc, and can only do that if the infrastructure can cope. If they think there's a profit to be made, they will invest, otherwise...

[Gary]

I suspect the driving force will be commerce. Firms will be keen to sell us VOD services etc, and can only do that if the infrastructure can cope. If they think there's a profit to be made, they will invest, otherwise...

That's what worries me with this Rik, with the British apathy deeply installed in a large percentage of the populous they won't care how fast they go there exists a  "it works that's enough for me" mentality and I cant see the money being pumped in if the demand is not there, look at the loss made by mobile providers over 3G. Business will demand more as you say but here it will end up being specialised installations, I fear copper and ADSL2+ for many a year to come with speeds still not getting much better due to line noise issues anyway and maybe worse, we have BE at our exchange and with our line quality unless you move into the exchange itself you wont get much better than ADSL Max speeds anyway.

[Rik]

I agree, Gary, if it's going to happen it will be in the big towns, very much where cable is.

[jupiter]

Well I'm disappointed in all you cynics.  For once here is the govt giving us a rallying call.

I, for one, am off outside now. 

I'm going to start my trench for fibre and keep going from this end till I join up with BT coming the other way.

Then who'll be laughing!

[Rik]

Good for you, Jupiter. When you pass Milton Keynes, could you detour a little and join my trench please?

[Den]

last time one of my family was in a trench it was 1918. 

[Rik]

Well, I was thinking of communication trenches.

[MoHux]

last time one of my family was in a trench it was 1918. 

It's about time you let 'em out. 

WE WON!!

[Rik]

Twice, even.

[J!ll]

last time one of my family was in a trench it was 1918. 

 

[jupiter]

Good for you, Jupiter. When you pass Milton Keynes, could you detour a little and join my trench please?

It is proving slower going than I expected.  I do seem to be cutting through quite a lot of other cable-type thingies as I go - but I don't suppose anyone will notice.  Some of them have BSkyB written on them - ooh, there's one says Tiscali, but it's broken already.

At least the street is bright up ahead.  It's strangely dark behind me though ...

[Rik]

 

I've missed your humour, Jupiter.

[jupiter]

It's down here in a trench Rik! - gone underground!

[Rik]

Metroland?

[jupiter]

Well, I have found a ready made tunnel, so going is much faster.

Trouble is the lights on the trains don't give me much warning.

Worse than that - they are Metropolitan line so I'm obviously nowhere near deep enough. 

[Den]

Is this something new that I missed? Trains going underground, what about all the smoke? 

[Rik]

Worse than that - they are Metropolitan line so I'm obviously nowhere near deep enough. 

That was fast progress from Wales, though.

[Rik]

Is this something new that I missed? Trains going underground, what about all the smoke? 

It's only cut and cover, you just breath very shallowly.

[Gary]

Well I'm disappointed in all you cynics.  For once here is the govt giving us a rallying call.

I, for one, am off outside now. 

I'm going to start my trench for fibre and keep going from this end till I join up with BT coming the other way.

Then who'll be laughing!

BT as they won't have dug a trench and think fibre just keeps you regular 

[CaptainSlow]

Rik, I can give you a peering arrangement for Far Bletchley trench!

Den, I've some bad news, there's this new unsinkable boat you've not heard about yet, and it's been lost to an iceberg on it's maiden voyage sadly. No news of the iceberg, but the Titanic is no more.

All, I reckon the way forward is to support Google and their wifi ideas, it would cut out all the debate quick sharp and get us what we need but won't otherwise get.

No, not wonderful, but a solution that would at least be viable.

[Rik]

Rik, I can give you a peering arrangement for Far Bletchley trench!

How are you? Long time no see.

[CaptainSlow]

How are you? Long time no see.

All in all I'm good!

Not been in here as IDNet are so good I just forget all about them!

Erm, I probably could have put that better I think! But you know what I mean 

I went to log in to check my BW usage, and suddenly - new web page - had a look found out about web space and I've been ecstatic ever since.

Trouble sleeping Rik? 

[Rik]

All in all I'm good!

Please to here it.

Not been in here as IDNet are so good I just forget all about them!

Erm, I probably could have put that better I think! But you know what I mean 

Indeed we do, we just hang around here to scare new customers and put the world to rights. 

I went to log in to check my BW usage, and suddenly - new web page - had a look found out about web space and I've been ecstatic ever since.

It's the first ISP I've been with where they keeping putting the services up rather than the prices. 

Trouble sleeping Rik? 

As it happens... 

[CaptainSlow]

Actually, I am moving soon, not quite sure when or where just yet but will be before Christmas hopefully and local still. I'll probably be a little quiet for a while longer while all that happens. Once that's done, I intend to put in a little more time on my own home turf here. So you have been warned! 

Only news here is a dodgy hip to go with the knees (maybe I need leg lag for this coming winter?!)

[Rik]

Actually, I am moving soon

Good luck - sorry about the reactivation fee.

Only news here is a dodgy hip to go with the knees (maybe I need leg lag for this coming winter?!)

We'll have to send Jill round with some fibreglass. 

[CaptainSlow]

Actually, I'm glad you mentioned that bit about reactivation, as it rasies an interesting point in general.

I'd imagine this is a good one to fully test IDNet's mettle. I'm not up to be awkward here, but they are so good with everything it will be interesting to see what they can do! (you got to keep testing things that appear to be unbreakable under any circumstance!) 

I'm moving, but to the best of my knowledge, the connection is staying here, and I would be opening a new connection at the new location.

Things that spring to mind are these:

Can I retain my details at IDNet? I've become attached to my handle and all that, so can that bit be moved to the new connection, and then a new set applied to this existing connection?

I can't see anything for BT to get uppety about, so it's just an IDNet issue, assuming it is an issue at all, but knowing them they'll just take it all in their stride, as it's what they seem to do, astonishingly! 

Maybe another thread would be in order? Don't intend or wish to hijack this one.

[Rik]

You should be able to move your account without any problems, Cap, but BT will charge an activation fee at the new house. You'll need to cancel the connection you have now, or there will be tags left on the line for the incomers.

[CaptainSlow]

Well, my landlady is staying you see, I'm finally getting my own place!

She's most likely to remain with IDNet for the foreseeable future as it's best not to fiddle about with stuff that's clearly not broken! I'll leave my router here and replace with a new one at my new place.

Given it's not a regular move in the regular way, then that's why I felt it had some interesting and perhaps, as yet, unexplored wrinkles to it.

[Rik]

I think you had better talk to IDNet about how best to handle things. Potentially, you could end up with two new connection fees in a worst case scenario, it all depends on what you want to retain and how that can be organised.

[john]

Didn't they already dig up all the roads and pavements to lay a cable for TV that not enough people wanted ? Everywhere round here's got the scars to prove it anyway.

Possibly the existing cable isn't good enough but presumably it could be upgraded with less trouble than digging everywhere up again. It used to belong to NTL but I believe it's now Virgin.

In my opinion essential services like communications infrastructure (as well as water and electricity etc) should never have been privatised. They could have contracted private companies to carry out maintenance but ownership should have been kept in the public sector. The government could then have implemented changes that suit the general public rather than shareholders.

[Rik]

In my opinion essential services like communications infrastructure (as well as water and electricity etc) should never have been privatised.

I agree, John, and there should have been a move towards shared facilities, eg ducting, where possible.

[john]

I agree, John, and there should have been a move towards shared facilities, eg ducting, where possible.

Yes, shared facilities would have been much easier to implement if they all had the same owner (i.e. us)