Getting Openreach to hurry up?

[#1]

Is there any way to "encourage" Openreach to do a fibre upgrade?

We were originally promised an upgrade in the area about 8 years ago, but Openreach backtracked with excuses about not being able to upgrade flats and even something about being unable to put a cable across a stream! Three years ago they finally upgraded every building in the street with FTTP except the apartment block I live in. The one next door was upgraded just fine, but they were unable to give a consistent reason as to why this one was missed - neighbours have been told everything from "it's already upgraded" to "the building wasn't on our maps".

After further excuses, the freeholder was told this year to submit another wayleave agreement which was received by Openreach back in August. Openreach originally said the upgrade was scheduled and would happen "soon". They're now saying there are no immediate plans to upgrade. To add insult to injury, they dug up part of our apartment block car park last December to install new gigabit fibre.

Is there any way for Plusnet to push Openreach to do the installation? I'm desperate to upgrade, because trying to work remotely with a connection that is between 600kbps and 1Mbps (when it is actually up) is getting ridiculous!

[#2]

Hi john_chandler,

I am afraid pushing Openreach to install faster broadband is an up hill task and ISP like Plusnet are not going to help you.

There are two options I can think of:

1) Complain via email to the CEO of Openreach Clive Selley.

2) If your broadband is lower than superfast (24 Mbps) and Openreach have received BDUK funding in your area complain to your MP and copy in Clive Selley.

The additional bad news is that Plusnet do not provide FTTP broadband, so if you could get FTTP you would have to change ISP.

Regards

Richard

[#3]

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from ADSL Broadband to Everything Else

[#4]

Thanks Richard - not quite the answer I was hoping for, but pretty much as expected.

The MP at the time was involved until the upgrades to the area were made. Our new MP is a bit useless except for reciting whatever the government PR of the day is, so doubtful he'll be of much use. From memory, securing the BDUK funding a few years back took a while because there was much finger-pointing between the government and BT Openreach as to who was responsible (basically, each was insisting the other was).

Anyway, thoroughly frustrating situation that never seems to end.

[#5]

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@john_chandler wrote:

... being unable to put a cable across a stream! < 2020

By comparison, the first transatlantic telegraph cable was laid in 1858.