Now that Connecting Devon & Somerset (CDS) has cancelled their contract with Gigaclear for extending full-fibre broadband across the counties, they are attempting to get a clear picture of who currently has access to what speeds, so that the next contractor (please not BT!) has an accurate baseline to work from. They have drawn up a large scale map, showing each individual property, with a colour-coded dot representing the speeds as follows:
Black = 2 or more providers offering 30Mbps or more
Grey = 1 provider ditto
Turquoise (though for some reason they label it White) no providers offering speeds as high as 30Mbps
Stoke properties will be grey or turquoise, and it is well worth checking your rating on this map. If you find that you are rated as receiving 30Mbps when in fact you do not, contact CDS to let them know now. (The deadline for their consultation is 10 December 2019.) There is a speed-checker on the CDS site here. If you prefer you can email me, and I will make a joint submission. it would be helpful for the PC to have an accurate picture of broadband speeds in the village in any case.
This is the link to the map. It is not desperately user-friendly. It opens zoomed in on Taunton. You will probably need to zoom out, pan, and zoom back in to locate your property.
Comments need to be directed to CDS by email, or in writing to OMR consultation, Economy Team, AB2 Lucombe House, County Hall, Exeter, EX2 4QD.
More information on this CDS page
The B4RDS —Broadband for Rural Devon and Somerset— Facebook page is also worth a visit.
If anyone needs help with any of this, please email Nick Sloan.