Fast Broadband For Hilldown Residents

We are funded! See our project web site for future updates.

The COVID pandemic has made it more important than ever for every household to have fast Internet access. Yet our neighbours in Hilldown Road - 31 homes -  are unable to have that because their street is unadopted and consequently has not been cabled for high-speed connections at all, despite adjoining the University. Even on the adopted part of the street, the only option for fast connections is Virgin Media, who operate at well under the speed of fibre and who don't allow other ISPs to use their connections.

OpenReach will fix that for us by installing fast fibres to the street - but only if we pay for it. We need about £8000 to cover the installation and the administration involved in making it happen. Once the fibre is installed, a fibre-ready ISP will be able to use it to deliver service competitively to every home provisioned.

Although the amount to join in as a resident starts at £300, that figure assumes almost all of the homes on the street will join in. If you can afford it please pledge more - we will only be able to proceed if the funding target is met. Given the mere availability of FTTP internet adds 1-2% to property values, this is a great investment even if you don't need fast internet now!

Are you a tenant? Your sponsorship would also be very welcome, and if you can persuade your landlord to join us all the better! Please pass on details of this web page and contact us so we know where to send further information to them by post.

OpenReach will only contract with a company, so local business Meshed Insights Ltd has agreed to administer the crowdfunding, the contract with OpenReach and the local interactions so their neighbours can get decent Internet service at the time we all need it most for home working, home schooling -- and indeed for entertainment to get us through the endless restrictions COVID has imposed.

Thanks in anticipation,

Adrian Pickering & Rezaul Miah