Assynt Community Broadband Survey Supported by Community Broadband Scotland, Highlands & Islands Enterprise

Assynt Community Association The Mission, Lochinver January 2016

Contents Page 3. Community scoping overview 6. Assynt broadband speed map 7. Summary of survey results 8. Survey comments 10. Covering letter for survey 11. Final survey form

AssyntCommunityBroadbandSurveySeptember–October2015ScopingOverview

1. LocalAreaInformationPopulationParishofAssynt2011census1,021includingElphinDwellings/Houses(dispersal)2001census442householdswith3041sthomesand1282ndhomesSchools/PublicbuildingsLochinverPrimarySchool(Roll=45);StoerPrimarySchool(Roll=4)HighlandCouncilOffices&ServiceCentreGP&DentistssurgeryAssyntMedical(&Dental)Practice,LochinverHealthCommunityCareAssynt;HighlandCouncilSocialWorkDeptPostOfficeMainStreet,LochinverChurchesChurchofScotland;AssyntFreeChurchofScotland;AssyntFreePresbyterianChurchofScotlandallinLochinver;AssyntFreeChurchofScotlandDrumbegHotels&RestaurantsInverlodgeHotel,KyleskuHotel,AlbannachHotel,CaberfeidhDiningPub,CulagHotel,LochinverLarder&RiversideBistro,AnCalaCafé,LochinverMission,PeetsRestaurant;GlencanispLodge;DrumbegHotel;InchnadamphLodge;InchnadamphHotel;NumerousGuestHousesandB&B’sinclRuddyglowPark,LochAssynt&LochAssyntLodgeManufacturingHighlandStoneware,LochinverMarineRNLIStation;CoastguardStation;HighlandHarbours;LochinverChandlery&Hardwarestore;EuroScotFishing;PenfroPecheFishing;ScottishFisheriesProtectionAgencyRetailSparLochinverStores&PetrolStation;InverparkCostcutterStores;VillageGreen;Rockpool;GreenleesButchers;LochinverLandscapes;AchinsBookshop;TheRockShop;DrumbegStores;LittleSoap&CandleCo.OtherAssyntLearningCentre;LochinverPoliceStation;LochinverVillageHall;;CulagCommunityWoodlandTrust;Coigach&AssyntLivingLandscapeProject;StoerVillageHall;DrumbegVillageHall;AssyntFoundation;AssyntCroftersTrustGeneralterraintypeRemote,rural&coastal.Rocky&wetRed=Organisationsreceiving<2MbpsspeedatpresentThislistmaynotbefullycomprehensive–apologiesifthereareanyomissions

2. BTexchange(s)service

ADSLDrumbegUAXRSNSDBGIV274NW 88residential;6businesspremisesAssynt NSASS IV274HL 52residential;7businesspremisesScourieNSSCO IV274TQ 158residential;16businesspremises

ADSLMaxLochinverNSLVR IV274JY 337residential;41businesspremisesStoerRadioStnNSSTE IV274JE 138residential;2businesspremisesKnowntelecomssupplyissuesRockyterrainhaslimiteddistributionoftelecomlines&encouragedwirelesstransmission(althoughtheelectricitynetworkservesalmosteveryproperty)Informationonlinelengthtoproposedtargetarea(s)Approx23milesbetweenfibreopticcableswhichserveLochinver(proposed)toKylesku(installed)Themajorproblemelsewhereisthatthebackhaulfibreopticcablegoesrightpastcommunities(whichhavelowerthan2Mbpsspeeds)withoutservingthemincluding,Inchnadamph&Kylesku/Unapool

3. ExistingbroadbandservicesAllservicesviaBTcoppercableADSLandADSLMax

4. MobileperformancedataEE,Vodafone,O2&Three2Gfromallmastswith3GsometimesavailableinLochinver

5. MobileMastSitesLochinverHarbour: 97964T-Mobile/IV0092ThreeLochinver: HGH7043OrangeStoer: HGH7042OrangeStoerhead: 6439VodafoneStrone: NOR131AAirwave/6438O2/HGH0046Orange/6438VodafoneKylestrome: NOR1230Airwave/6411O2/HGH0114Orange/6411VodafoneLedmore: 6431O2/HGH0048Orange6431VodafoneKnockanCrag: 6465O2/HGH0100Orange/6465Vodafone

6. LocaldemandDoyouhaveasurveythatconfirmsmarketdemand,oranyotherformofcommitmentfromthelocalcommunity?YesAreyouabletoindicatewhatpercentageofthecommunityareunabletoobtainatleasta2Mbpsstandardbroadbandservice?27%Identifyprojecttargetarea(s),inwhichthemajorityofpremisesareunabletoreceiveastandardbroadbandserviceof2MbpsSeemapenclosedDescriptionoftargetarea(s)boundaries,terrainetc.ParishofAssyntexcludingElphinRemoteandrural,rocky&wet

7. Usage

Whatwouldusersliketousebroadbandfor(homeuseandbusinessuse)?72%HomeUse28%BusinessUseWhatistherequiredlevelofspeed?Morethan6Mbpsbutevenmoreimportantisthereliabilityoftheservice

8. Technicalstudies/reviewHasanybodyundertakenorcommissionedanytechnicalstudies/reviewsforbroadbanddeliverytotheprojecttargetarea?No

9.FundingsourcesAreyouabletoidentifyanypossiblesourcesoffunding?-No10.OutcomesInadditiontotheCBSoutcome(improveddigitalconnectivityinremoteandruralcommunities),whichallCBSfundedprojectswillberequiredtoreportagainst,identifybetween2and4projectspecificoutcomesforyourcommunity.CommunityScopingMapThemapshoulddefinetheprojecttargetareaasaccuratelyaspossible.Itshowstheareaswherethemajorityofpremisescurrentlyreceivelessthan2Mbps.Locationofexchanges

Drumbeg UAXRSNSDBG IV274NW Assynt NSASS IV274HL Lochinver NSLVR IV274JY StoerRadioStn NSSTE IV274JE Scourie NSSCO IV274TQ

WillieJack13thJanuary2016

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Assynt Community Broadband Survey

Preliminary results

Surveys sent out 754Returned by Post Office 19Valid addresses 735

Surveys returned 199 27%

Receive internet Yes 170 85.00%No 29 15.00%

Current service Provider BT 114 57%Satellite 18 9%Other 37 19%No answer 29 15%

Amount paid pm Answered 134 £22.28pm average

Service received Excellent 7 4.20%satisfactory 94 56%Poor 60 36%Satis to Poor 3 2%Not stated 4 2.40%

Download speed <2Mbps 46 35%132 answered Average 4.57Mbps

Upload speed <0.39Mbps 107 84%127 answered Average 0.53Mbps

Interested in faster broadbandReceive Internet InterestedYes Yes 142Yes No 16No Yes 15No No 10No answer 16

Yes 79%No 13%No answer 8%

Would pay £pm £10-19 59 29%203 replied £20-29 57 28%

£30-39 29 14%£40-49 9 4.50%>£50 9 4.50%No answer 40 20%

Home Business splt176 answered Home 72%

Business 28%

Comments 99 answered 50%

Want to be involved 44 22%Sponsor / other 22 11%

Gave Name 169 85%Gave Phone number 158 79%Gave email address 154 77%

Ass

ynt

Com

mun

ity

Bro

adba

nd S

urve

yCom

men

ts fro

m t

he s

urve

y ca

rrie

d ou

t in

Sep

tem

ber

& O

ctob

er 2

015

£25

is w

hat

I cu

rren

tly

pay

per

mon

th -

wou

ld n

ot b

e pr

epar

ed t

o pa

y m

ore

As

130

Cla

chto

ll is

our

hol

iday

acc

omm

odat

ion

/ se

cond

hom

e, w

e do

n't

have

unl

imited

B/B

and

beca

use

we

don'

t do

wnl

oad

or s

trea

m m

usic

or

vide

o. H

owev

er I

fee

l sup

erfa

st B

/B is

ess

esnt

ial i

n ou

r co

mm

unity

whe

re s

o m

any

wor

k fr

om h

ome

etc

At

the

mom

ent

our

broa

dban

d go

es o

ff a

t le

ast

4 tim

es a

day

. W

e ha

ve t

o re

set

it w

hich

is n

ot v

ery

good

Bro

adba

nd r

elia

bilit

y (a

vaila

bilit

y) a

nd r

obus

tnes

s of

the

infr

astr

uctu

re a

nd m

odem

/ ro

uter

are

mor

e im

port

ant

to u

s th

an o

utrigh

t sp

eed.

By

robu

stne

ss w

e m

ean

tole

ranc

e to

ligh

tnin

g st

rike

s an

d la

ck o

f vu

lner

abili

ty d

ue t

o un

prot

ecte

d te

leco

ms

cabl

es jus

t la

id o

n th

e su

rfac

e of

the

gro

und

- no

t ru

n in

con

duits,

bur

ied

or m

arke

d in

any

way

.BT

- Bill

ing

/ st

atem

ent

- ca

n N

OT

wor

k ou

t an

ythi

ng.

Cal

ls/

BB/

reba

tes

etc.

Unf

atho

mab

le!!

Not

set

out

in ir

der

of a

ny k

ind.

Im

poss

ible

to

sort

out

wha

t w

as w

hat.

BT

cust

omer

ser

vice

pho

ne li

ne -

for

eign

- c

an n

ot u

nder

stan

d!!!

BT

clai

ms

to b

e un

able

to

prov

ide

me

with

exis

ting

bro

adba

nd a

s th

ey s

ay t

here

is in

suffic

ient

cap

acity

in t

he A

ssyn

t ex

chan

geCan

't e

ven

get

BT

spor

t. B

road

band

was

so

bad.

End

ed u

p ha

ving

to

get

Sky

for

spo

rts

Can

't g

et fas

ter

broa

dban

d as

all

equi

pmen

t is

ful

l in

area

Can

not

effe

ctiv

ely

wor

k fr

om h

ome

due

to V

PN (

secu

rity

) so

doi

ng far

mor

e tr

avel

to

and

from

wor

k. M

onth

ly c

osts

is a

lmos

t pr

ohib

itiv

e an

d fir

st e

ngin

eer

visi

t w

ill b

e co

st p

rohi

bitive

. Cou

ld w

ell r

esul

t in

a m

ove

away

fro

m W

est

Com

raic

h is

a h

olid

ay h

ome

that

we

use

ours

elve

s bu

t al

so r

ent

out

as a

sel

f ca

tering

hol

iday

cot

tage

(it d

oes

not

tend

to

have

muc

h oc

cupa

ncy

over

the

win

ter

mon

ths)

Inc

reas

ingl

y ac

cess

to

the

best

pos

sibl

e in

erne

t co

nnec

tion

is im

port

ant

not

just

per

sona

lly b

ut a

lso

for

our

gues

ts

Con

nect

ion

depe

nds

on t

he w

eath

er.

If it

run

s th

en it

's g

ood.

Mos

t tim

e th

ere

do n

ot r

un.

Will

can

cel t

he c

ontr

act

this

yea

rCon

side

r up

grad

e m

obile

tra

nsm

itte

rs t

o 5G

+ in

crea

sed

cove

rage

to

acce

ss fib

re-o

ptic

spe

eds.

The

Loc

hinv

er-D

rum

beg-

Kyl

esku

pho

ne li

ne n

eeds

con

nect

ed r

ight

rou

nd a

nd u

pgra

ded.

Con

sist

ency

(la

ck o

f)Con

stan

tly

havi

ng t

o co

ntac

t BT

to g

et s

peed

incr

ease

d! S

tart

s of

f at

4 a

nd s

low

ly r

educ

es o

ver

a pe

riod

of tim

eCur

rent

pro

vide

r al

so in

clud

es p

hone

ser

vice

s. N

eed

to e

nsur

e pr

ovid

er fle

xibi

lity

mai

ntai

ned.

Wou

ld n

ot w

ant

to b

e fo

rced

to

use

any

old

ISP.

Lef

t BT

for

very

goo

d re

ason

s!D

etrim

enta

l to

busi

ness

. H

otel

s of

fer

WiF

i, w

e ca

n't

Do

not

have

inte

rnet

con

nect

ed a

yet

mov

ed in

. U

se in

tern

et a

t Ass

ynt

Cen

tre

Extr

emel

y sl

ow a

nd d

rops

out

at

busy

per

iods

For

rese

arch

em

ail a

nd b

row

sing

the

cur

rent

con

nect

ion

is O

K.

I do

not

dow

nloa

d fil

ms

etc

and

only

occ

asio

nally

wat

ch iP

laye

r. Fu

rthe

r so

uth

whe

re fib

re is

ava

ilabl

e it c

an b

e ha

d fo

r bo

ut £

10 m

ore

than

sta

ndar

d co

nnec

tion

. N

ot o

f co

urse

BT!

Frus

trat

ing

to k

now

tha

t th

e ne

w fib

re o

ptic

cab

le r

uns

withi

n fe

et o

f th

e lo

cal e

xcha

nge

but

will

not

be

conn

ecte

d to

the

exc

hang

e -

no d

oubt

cos

t in

volv

ed!

Gue

sts

curr

ently

use

the

villa

ge o

r Rud

dygl

ow P

ark

Had

line

pro

blem

sH

ave

no r

eal n

eed

for

fast

er c

onne

ctio

n at

bthe

mom

ent

for

the

dom

estic

/ ho

me

use

we

have

but

wou

ld p

roba

bly

be in

tere

sted

if it

wer

e av

aila

ble.

It

wou

ld b

e fa

r m

ore

usef

ul a

t w

ork

prem

ises

- m

edic

al p

ract

ice

in L

ochi

nver

Hav

e to

sw

itch

on

and

off to

obt

ain

a si

gnal

a few

tim

es a

day

. Ve

ry m

uch

a pa

rt t

ime

serv

ice

Hig

h qu

ality

inte

rnet

for

us

is B

T's

resp

onsi

bilit

y as

the

hav

e a

de fac

to m

onop

oly

of in

fras

truc

ture

. W

e sh

ould

be

hold

ing

them

to

acci

unt

and

get

polit

ical

sup

port

to

get

them

to

mee

t th

eir

repo

nsib

ilities

Hig

her

upst

ream

ban

dwid

th w

ould

be

an e

xcel

lent

sta

rt.

We

regu

larly

have

acc

epta

ble

dow

nstr

eam

spe

eds

unle

ss t

he c

amp/

cara

van

park

is a

t fu

ll ca

paci

ty!

This

ove

rloa

ds o

ur a

lrea

dy o

vers

ubsc

ribe

d ex

chan

geH

olid

ay c

otta

geH

olid

ay h

ome.

Cur

rent

inte

rnet

ser

vice

suf

ficie

ntI

am v

ery

scep

tica

l abo

ut a

com

mun

ity

orga

nisa

tion

hav

ing

the

resp

onsi

bilit

y of

pro

vidi

ng b

road

band

ser

vice

s fo

r th

e ar

ea.

I be

lieve

it is

the

rep

onsi

bilit

y of

SG

& s

ervi

ce p

rovi

ders

and

the

y ar

e ju

st p

assi

ng t

he b

uck.

I ca

n't

alw

ays

get

on t

he in

tern

et -

pre

sum

ably

bec

ause

its

too

slow

. H

owev

er it

is m

uch

impr

oved

late

ly +

eve

n th

roug

h th

e su

mm

er.

It's

goo

d en

ough

for

my

use

at p

rese

ntI

don'

t ha

ve a

com

pute

r or

a la

ndlin

eI

feel

the

poo

r in

tern

et c

onne

ctio

n w

e ha

ve is

due

mor

e to

the

poo

r co

nditio

n of

the

line

s th

an t

he p

rovi

der

I fil

led

this

in b

ut it

's p

roba

bly

not

rele

vant

as

we

can

only

get

Sat

elite

broa

dban

dI

find

John

Lew

is e

xcel

lent

& s

low

ness

of co

mpu

term

ay b

e be

caus

e it is

alm

ost

10 y

ears

old

I ha

ve in

vest

igat

ed t

his

in s

ome

deta

il an

d it a

ppea

rs t

hat

we

are

an e

xcha

nge

only

con

nect

ion

= n

o st

reet

cab

inet

. TH

IS I

S I

MPO

RTA

NT

- in

ord

er t

o co

nnec

t th

ey w

ill n

eed

to r

un a

sep

arat

e fib

re fro

m S

cour

ie in

add

itio

n to

the

mai

n on

e. M

ust

be fed

at

teh

sam

e tim

e as

mai

n fib

re is

fed

to

save

cos

tI

have

not

ans

wer

ed Q

7.1

beca

use

I th

ink

rem

ote

area

s sh

ould

not

hav

e to

pay

mor

e th

an e

lsew

here

in t

he c

ount

ry for

ser

vice

s su

ch a

s br

oadb

and.

Ele

ctrici

ty,

deliv

ery

cost

s et

cI

may

sho

rtly

mov

e m

y ba

se fro

m G

lasg

ow t

o Ass

ynt

and

will

wan

t lo

cal b

road

band

bet

ter

than

a B

T ho

tspo

t -

but

prob

ably

not

a s

uper

fast

con

nect

ion

I us

e m

y sm

artp

hone

to

use

inte

rnet

with

O2,

but

exp

erie

nce

cons

tant

pro

blem

s w

ith

O2

sign

al d

ue t

o 'm

ast' is

sues

. I

have

no

plan

s fo

r te

leph

one

line

conn

ection

I w

ould

be

inte

rest

ed in

and

pay

up

to £

19pm

for

a m

ore

relia

ble

inte

rnet

. Ser

vice

rel

iabi

lity

is m

ore

the

issu

e as

wea

ther

can

affec

t ca

bles

+ c

onne

ctio

ns c

ausi

ng d

rops

on

the

line

and

grea

ter

spee

d va

riab

ility

I w

ould

pay

the

sam

e as

the

peo

ple

in L

ochi

nver

will

pay

on

aver

age

for

thei

r up

grad

e. W

e ne

ed t

o be

abl

e to

do

Sky

pe v

ideo

cal

ls for

wor

k, a

nd t

his

is n

ot p

ossi

ble

with

thes

e sp

eeds

. Ve

ry fru

stra

ting

I'm

for

tuna

te in

hav

ing

a re

ason

ably

fas

t br

oadb

and

spee

d th

at's

goi

ng t

o in

crea

se n

ext

year

. But

I'd

like

eve

ryon

e el

se in

Ass

ynt

to e

njoy

the

sam

e se

rvic

eIf

spe

ed c

anno

t be

incr

ease

d pr

ovid

ers

shou

ld r

educ

e th

e co

stIn

thi

s da

y an

d ag

e ac

cess

to

broa

dban

d is

mor

e or

less

ess

ential

- la

ck o

f it e

xclu

des

peop

le fro

m a

ll ki

nds

of in

form

atio

n an

d op

port

unitie

sIn

tere

stin

g th

at B

T's

dow

nloa

d ch

eck

says

I g

et 6

.01,

upl

oad

0.35

- b

ut w

hat

size

file

are

the

tes

ts c

alcu

late

d on

? Sm

alle

r th

e fil

e -

quic

ker

the

spee

d et

cIn

tern

et is

con

stan

tly

turn

ing

off. I

fee

l it

is a

bsol

utel

y ridi

culo

us t

hat

fast

er b

road

band

has

bee

n ge

ttin

g in

stal

led

in m

ost

plac

es in

hig

hlan

ds n

ow &

we'

re n

ot!!

!In

tern

et k

eeps

dro

ppin

g at

thi

s ad

dres

s. W

as w

ith

BT

and

now

Sco

ttis

h H

ydro

is t

he s

ame

prob

lem

on

both

pro

vide

rsIt

is s

atel

lite

for

whi

ch I

had

to

pay

for

both

kit s

et u

p an

d pr

ivat

e in

tslla

tion

due

to

lack

of an

y ot

her

broa

dban

d op

tion

s ot

her

than

ver

y po

or d

ial u

pIt

is s

low

but

it d

oes

wor

k an

d w

e on

ly u

se it

rea

lly for

soc

ial s

tuff

Man

agin

g w

ith

inte

rnet

at

mom

ent

albe

it e

xpen

sive

. I

wou

ld a

lway

s su

ppor

t be

tter

in t

he a

rea

as fee

l tha

t Sco

tlan

d as

a w

hole

get

s le

ft b

ehin

d in

par

ticu

lar

with

phon

e re

cept

ions

(ie

mob

ile)

also

My

bigg

est

grip

e is

tha

t th

e sp

eed

is s

o va

riab

le.

The

low

est

I've

see

n is

0.4

1Mbp

s. I

con

tact

ed B

T -

they

sai

d th

ey w

oulk

d "r

eset

" so

met

hing

and

the

spe

ed w

ent

up t

o ov

er 6

. Th

en o

ver

a pe

riod

of tim

e it d

ropp

ed d

own

agai

nM

y co

nnec

tion

is u

nrel

iabl

e w

ith

freq

uent

'dro

ppin

g ou

t'!

In a

rem

ote

area

rel

iabl

e br

oadb

and

is a

n ec

onom

ic n

eces

sity

for

loca

l bus

ines

ses

My

curr

ent

broa

dban

d is

an

inte

rnet

/ ph

one/

spo

rt p

acka

ge a

t a

prom

otio

nal r

ate

whi

ch is

wha

t I

wou

ld lo

ok for

plu

s m

ore

if su

perf

ast

BB b

ecam

e av

aila

ble

Not

con

nect

ed t

o th

e ph

one

netw

ork

at p

rese

nt a

s th

e in

tern

et is

too

poo

r to

jus

tify

the

price

as

the

hom

e is

use

d as

a w

eeke

nd h

ome

as I

am

una

ble

to w

ork

here

as

I ne

ed g

ood

broa

dban

dN

ot ful

l tim

e re

side

ntN

ot h

appy

with

Talk

Tal

k. I

f co

nnec

tion

goe

s he

re B

T ha

ve t

o so

rt it

out

whi

ch t

akes

at

leas

t th

ree

days

fro

m t

he p

rovi

der

aler

t. N

ope!

Too

old

for

all

this

!! G

ood

for

you

thou

gh.

Man

y w

ill b

e gl

ad o

f yo

ur in

itia

tive

Not

if it

cos

t m

ore.

At

pres

ent

the

prop

erty

is a

sec

ond

hom

e +

use

d 25

% o

f th

e ye

arN

ot I

nter

este

dN

othi

ng m

uch

mor

e to

say

Cur

rent

ser

vice

bar

ely

allo

ws

emai

l and

cer

tain

ly c

anno

t st

ream

/ do

wnl

oad

vide

o co

nten

t et

cO

nly

use

occa

isio

nally

+ fam

ily v

isits

Our

add

ress

is a

hol

iday

let/

2nd

hom

e bu

t w

e w

ould

love

to

be a

ble

to g

et in

tern

et a

cces

s fo

r ou

rsel

ves

& g

uest

sO

ur b

usin

ess

depe

nds

abso

lute

ly c

onne

ctiv

ity.

Cur

rent

6M

bps

limits

busi

ness

gro

wth

and

rai

ses

the

poss

ibili

ty o

f m

ovin

g aw

ay.

We

coul

d us

e 1G

bps

(80M

bps

is s

mal

l)O

ver

the

year

s I

trie

d AO

L, B

T +

Plu

snet

. Th

e pr

oble

m is

the

sta

te o

f th

e lin

e an

d th

e di

stan

ce fro

m t

he e

xcha

nge.

I n

ow h

ave

sate

llite

bro

adba

ndPh

one

line

was

so

slow

we

coul

d on

ly s

end

sim

ple

emai

ls &

cou

ld n

ot w

orko

n ou

r w

ebsi

te -

had

to

go t

o fr

iend

s. H

ence

we

use

SAT

ELLI

TE B

RO

AD

BAN

DPl

ease

not

e -

I am

hug

ely

supp

ortive

of yo

ur e

ffor

ts b

ut u

nabl

e to

offer

vol

unta

ry t

ime

due

to h

ealth

issu

es.

Sor

ry a

bout

tha

tPo

ssib

ly b

ut w

e ar

e no

t fu

ll tim

e re

side

nts

of U

napo

ol s

o m

ay n

ot a

lway

s be

ava

ilabl

e to

hel

pReg

ardl

ess

of s

peed

s re

cord

ed o

ver

the

page

, th

ey t

end

to v

ary

very

con

side

rabl

ySat

ellit

e is

OK,

but

strict

dat

a lim

its

and

slow

initia

l res

pons

e. A

nd e

xpen

sive

!Ser

vice

var

ies

- 8a

m is

alm

ost

unus

able

as

ever

yone

logs

in t

hen.

Not

e 1K

m fro

m e

xcha

nge

(top

of Bur

ma

Rd)

will

be

base

d on

cop

per

wire

and

will

be

alm

ost

all o

f Lo

chin

ver.

Wou

ld b

e ha

ppy

to b

e in

volv

ed in

com

mun

ity

fund

ed h

ub

Slo

w &

poo

r. Sha

red

with

50+

gue

sts

so e

ven

slow

er.

And

the

y du

g up

our

drive

for

the

fib

re c

able

Som

e da

ys v

ery

slow

and

tim

e w

aste

d w

aiting

Spe

ed t

ests

in a

fter

noon

is m

uch

less

- 5

.2Spe

eds

not

cons

iste

ntSpe

eds

not

cons

iste

nt,

varies

fro

m 1

m t

o 5m

The

BT

serv

ice

is p

rett

y go

od*

and

we

have

no

plan

s to

cha

nge.

At

sam

e tim

e w

e re

cogn

ise

that

thi

ngs

are

cons

tant

ly c

hang

ing

and

that

we

may

nee

d to

upg

rade

in t

he fut

ure.

* I

w

ork

for

the

Sco

ttis

h G

over

nmen

t fr

om h

ome

usin

g BT

conn

ection

and

it w

orks

OK -

exc

ept

during

thu

nder

sto

rms

The

mai

n pr

oble

m is

its

unpr

edic

tabi

lity.

Spe

ed t

ests

do

not

refle

ct t

imes

whe

n it is

not

wor

king

The

prop

erty

is a

hol

iday

hom

eTh

e se

rvic

e is

ver

y po

or.

The

link

unre

liabl

e. T

he s

uppo

rt is

non

-exi

stan

tTh

e w

orst

asp

ect

of o

ur c

urre

nt s

ervi

ce is

the

var

iabi

lity

of s

peed

s; s

omet

imes

it's

acc

epta

ble

(if no

t th

at g

reat

) bu

t of

ten

it d

ips

to a

cra

wl.

Als

o on

my

iPad

, it is

par

ticu

larly

slow

, w

ho k

now

s w

hy,

ofte

n sp

eeds

low

er t

han

old

dial

up

spee

ds,

or e

ven

wor

seth

ere

is n

o in

tern

et s

igna

l on

the

phon

e lin

e (7

.5 m

ls fro

m e

xcah

nge)

Sat

ellit

e co

nnec

tion

is t

he o

nly

option

This

is a

hol

iday

hom

e w

ith

no p

hone

or

broa

dban

dTh

is is

a le

t ho

liday

pro

pert

y. U

nfor

tuna

tely

I d

o no

t ha

ve r

elev

ant

info

with

me

This

is a

pro

pert

y w

hich

is le

t in

the

sum

mer

whe

n I'm

not

the

re.

Hol

iday

mak

ers

are

incr

easi

ngly

dem

andi

ng a

goo

d in

tern

et s

peed

This

is o

ur h

olid

ay h

ome

so I

wou

ldn'

t ch

oose

to

pay

for

a fa

ster

con

nect

ion

Upl

oad

spee

d lo

w,

does

not

alw

ays

wor

k. U

sage

res

tric

ted

unle

ss o

n ex

pens

ive

pack

age

Very

impo

rtan

t th

at w

e ha

ve a

rel

iabl

e an

d fa

st b

road

band

- t

o en

able

sky

pe c

alls

as

wel

l as

bett

er d

own

+ U

P lo

adin

g (t

his

is c

urre

ntly

ver

y sl

ow).

Var

iabi

lity

of c

urre

nt s

peed

s is

ver

y fr

ustr

atin

g an

d w

aste

full

of t

ime

+ p

erso

nal c

osts

Very

sus

cept

ible

to

light

ning

dam

age

at t

he e

xcha

nge.

In

rece

nt y

ears

has

slo

wed

dow

n co

nsid

erab

ly in

the

eve

ning

sW

e ar

e at

tach

ed t

o Kyl

esku

Hot

el w

here

our

gue

sts

use

the

inte

rnet

con

stan

tly.

Cur

rent

ly o

nly

in p

ublic

are

as b

ut w

e ar

e be

ing

aske

d ev

eryd

ay for

inte

rnet

in b

edro

oms.

Als

o in

tern

et is

a m

ajor

fac

tor

in r

ecru

itin

g go

od s

taff m

embe

rs d

ue t

o re

mot

enes

s an

d la

ck o

f m

obile

sig

nal

We

are

inte

rest

ed in

fin

ding

an

alte

rnat

ive

supp

lier

as o

ur c

osts

kee

p in

crea

sing

for

a b

asic

ser

vice

. W

e do

n't

dow

nloa

d m

uch

beca

use

of a

poo

r sp

eed.

If it w

as p

ossi

ble

to h

ave

a be

tter

ser

vice

for

a fai

r pr

ice

then

we

wou

ld t

hink

abo

ut t

his

We

curr

ently

use

sate

llite

whi

ch is

slo

w a

nd c

appe

d &

the

refo

re u

nsui

tabl

e to

offer

to

our

gues

ts.

Our

upl

oad

spee

d vi

a th

e ph

one

line

was

2M

bps

& n

ot fit for

pur

pose

We

did

put

in B

T br

oadb

and

for

the

tour

ists

but

it w

as s

o sl

ow/

stop

tha

t w

e ha

d it r

emov

edW

e do

not

hav

e a

tele

phon

e co

nnec

tion

for

the

add

ress

Loc

hsid

e Cot

tage

, 17

8 Sto

er.

Mig

ht c

onsi

der

in t

he fut

ure

We

need

a fas

t re

liabl

e se

nsib

ly p

rice

d in

tern

et s

ervi

ce b

ecau

se w

e ru

n a

B&

B a

nd t

here

fore

e a

lso

need

it for

my

gues

tsW

e un

ders

tand

new

fas

t br

oadb

and

wou

ld b

e w

ithi

n 2K

m o

f ex

chan

ge.

Whe

re w

e liv

e it is

jus

t ou

tsid

e di

stan

ce +

I a

m s

ure

unle

ss y

ou a

re in

the

vill

age

will

be

of n

o us

e -

broa

dban

d is

sat

isfa

ctor

y in

mor

ning

but

late

aft

erno

on o

nwar

ds v

ery

slow

We

wou

ld li

ke t

o liv

e he

re for

mor

e of

the

yea

r &

wor

k fr

om h

ere.

Thi

s is

not

pos

sibl

e cu

rren

tly

witho

ut b

road

band

Wha

t ha

ppen

ed t

o fib

re o

ptic

rol

l out

Wis

h to

ret

ain

my

FS N

et e

mai

l add

ress

. Con

side

ring

wha

t be

nefit

s th

e BT/

EE

tie

up m

ight

mea

nW

ith

2mb

bein

g th

e su

gges

ted

spee

d fo

r st

ream

ing,

the

n a

spee

d of

0.4

8mb

is n

ot fit for

pur

pose

With

all t

he in

quirie

s I

mad

e ab

out

AD

SL

or B

road

band

, al

l sai

d th

ey c

ould

offer

it,

but

actu

ally

the

y co

uldn

't,

thou

gh I

do

have

a p

hone

line

Wou

ld li

ke a

t le

ast

15 G

igab

ite

mon

thly

lim

it

Willie%Jack%Project%Co0ordinator%

Assynt%Community%Broadband%Assynt%Community%Association%

The%Mission,%Lochinver,%IV27%4LE%!

September!2015! !

%Jack%House,%610%Stoer,%Lochinver,%LAIRG,%%Sutherland,%IV27%4JE% %%Dear!friend,!

!

Assynt%Community%Broadband%Survey%!

Please!find!enclosed!a!survey!which!Assynt!Community!Association!is!undertaking!in!partnership!with!Community!

Broadband!Scotland,!part!of!Highlands!and!Islands!Enterprise!(HIE).!

!

HIE!are!working!with!BT!to!introduce!superJfast!broadband!to!the!Highlands!&!Islands.!Phase!1!of!this!should!result!in!

Lochinver!being!connected!by!fibreJoptic!cable!by!mid!2016.!As!a!result!of!this!anyone!living!within!1Km!of!the!fibreJoptic!

exchange!should!be!able!to!connect!and!receive!speeds!of!up!to!80Mbps!while!those!between!1J2Km!away!could!see!

speeds!in!excess!of!10Mbps.!At!present!most!people!in!Assynt!can!only!receive!a!maximum!download!speed!of!6J7Mbps!

!

There!are!no!current!plans!to!extend!the!fibreJoptic!cable!south!to!Inverkirkaig!or!north!to!the!Stoer!peninsula.!Despite!the!

main!fibreJoptic!cable!going!right!through!Elphin,!Inchnadamph,!Loch!Assynt,!Unapool!and!Kylesku,!there!are!no!plans!to!

directly!connect!these!communities!straight!into!the!network.!

!

So!for!those!of!us!in!Assynt!who!live!more!than!2Km!from!the!exchange!we!will!likely!see!no!benefit!from!the!Phase!1!

programme.!For!communities!like!ours!HIE!have!established!Community!Broadband!Scotland.!CBS!is!looking!to!establish!a!

community!solution!which!will!allow!more!remote!&!rural!communities!to!connect!to!the!superJfast!network.!!The!results!

of!this!survey!are!very!important!to!us!as!they!will!be!used!to!assess!whether!or!not!people!in!Assynt!want!to!receive!superJ

fast!broadband!and!how!much!are!they!willing!to!pay!for!it.!

!

The!survey!

!

Your!postJcode!has!been!entered!onto!the!form!as!that!is!vital!in!assessing!different!wants!&!needs!across!Assynt.!It!is!

anonymous!unless!you!are!happy!to!give!your!details!in!part!10.!

!

When!answering!Q4!and!Q7!J!if!you!have!your!phone!&!broadband!service!through!BT!you!will!be!paying!line!rental!for!the!

phone!line!(which!is!about!to!increase!to!£17.99!to!£19.99!per!month)!together!with!a!monthly!charge!for!broadband.!

Question!4!asks!how!much!you!pay!for!your!broadband!only!and!not!the!line!rental!while!Q7!asks!how!much!you!would!be!

willing!to!pay!for!a!superJfast!service.!

!

With!Q6!–!the!Government!have!said!that!communities!which!currently!receive!a!broadband!speed!of!less!than!2Mbps!are!

the!priority.!There!are!several!townships!in!Assynt!that!could!fall!into!this!category.!

!

With!Part!10!–!if!the!results!of!the!survey!are!positive!then!CBS!will!commission!a!technical!evaluation!survey.!This!will!

identify!the!likely!options!for!introducing!superJfast!broadband!across!Assynt.!!We!may!find!it!useful!to!know!who!is!

interested!in!becoming!more!involved!in!helping!with!the!programme.!!

!

Please%can%you%return%the%completed%survey%to%me%in%the%pre0paid%envelope%by%Friday%23rd%October!!

Once!the!surveys!have!been!returned,!the!results!will!be!collated!and!will!be!publicised!at!a!public!meeting!with!CBS!in!

Lochinver!in!November.!If!you!give!your!email!address!on!the!survey!I!will!let!you!know!the!day!&!time!of!the!meeting.!!

!

Best!regards!

!

Willie!Jack

AssyntCommunityAssociationTheMission,Lochinver,IV274LE

AssyntCommunityBroadbandQuestionnaire1. Nameofvillagewhereyouliveandyourpostcode

2. Areyouabletousetheinternetatthisaddress?Yes/No

IfunabletoaccessbroadbandpleaseproceedtoQ73. Whichinternetserviceproviderdoyouuse?(ieBT,Virgin,Sky,etc)

4. Howmuchdoyoucurrentlypayforyourbroadbandeachmonth?5. Howwouldyoudescribeyourcurrentbroadbandconnection

Poor Satisfactory Excellent6. SpeedTest–pleaserunthespeedtestatwww.speedtest.netandentertheresults:

Downloadspeed Uploadspeed7. WouldyoubeinterestedinaccessingafasterbroadbandnetworkYes/No

7.1. IfYes,howmuchwouldyoupaypermonthforafastbroadbandconnection?

£10-£19 £20-£29 £30-£39 £40-£49 £50plus7.2. Wouldyouusethisbroadbandforhomeand/orbusinessuse?

Homeuse…….….% Businessuse…..….%

AssyntCommunityAssociationTheMission,Lochinver,IV274LE

8. IfyouhaveanyothercommentsrelatedtoyourInternetservicepleasetellusbelow:

9. Wouldyoubewillingtobecomeinvolvedorsupportalocalcommunityorganisationseekingto

deliverahigh-speedbroadbandservice?

Interestedingettinginvolvedinmylocalarea

Mayconsiderofferingsponsorshiporothersupport

10. Pleaseprovideyourcontactdetails.Thesewillonlybeusedinrelationtotheprovisionof

broadbandservicesinyourareaandwillnotbedisclosedtothirdpartieswithoutyourconsent.Name AddressPostcode PhoneEmailThankyoufortakingpartinthissurvey,formoreinformationrelatingtoCommunityBroadbandvisitwww.communitybroadbandscotland.orgPleasereturncompletedquestionnairesto:WillieJackProjectCo-ordinatorAssyntCommunityBroadband610StoerLochinverIV274JE