Campaign succeeds in getting broadband link

People living in Shildon feared that they would be left behind in the world of technology after surrounding towns were given faster access to the Internet.

Colin Devonport, who set up Shildon Net to promote the town, said that people in Newton Aycliffe, Bishop Auckland and Darlington were already reaping the benefits of broadband and that Shildon needed to catch up.

The 44-year-old, from Auckland Terrace, Shildon, volunteered to lead a campaign to bring the service to the town so that it would emphasise its importance to local schools and businesses.

He said: "When I found that we could not get broadband I decided to launch a campaign to bring it to Shildon.

"It is ten times as fast to get on the Internet and it also frees the telephone lines. I do not think that people realise the size of the Internet market and what it means to businesses in the town.''

Mr Devonport's campaign was supported by BT Broadband, which put leaflets through the doors of every resident to collect pre-registration forms for the service.

Mr Devonport said: "We needed to get 300 pre-registrations and we only had 150. As soon as we launched the campaign we had 150 signatures within weeks. It took us nine months to get the first 150.

"Internet service providers will now take advance orders for broadband. The advance order process is basically a means of getting yourself in the queue for installation as far as we are aware.

"We will establish a forum on the website to keep people informed.''

Durham County Council's director of economic development and planning, Mark Lloyd, said it was great news for the town and praised the campaign. He also hoped it would set an example to other communities who were without broadband.

"It is fantastic news and a clear demonstration of consumer power. We have suggested similar approaches in other settlements in the county," he said.

"We are also working on ways of getting every single exchange upgraded to broadband."