This is people power!’ Broadband provider forced to reverse plans following backlash

ASHTREE Road residents have been celebrating recently after they managed to persuade an internet provider to backtrack from plans that would see telegraph poles erected to wire broadband to their homes – a move that the residents say would have resulted in “unsightly” overhead wires hanging down in an estate that was specifically built with all of its utilities underground. 

At the start of May, Truespeed Communications sent out notices on the Stonebridge Estate, including Ashtree Road and Laburnum Close, informing residents that telegraph poles would be erected in various locations in the area, and that overhead cables would connect these to individual homes to provide internet.

Residents then started a letter-writing campaign to the Bath-based internet provider, Truespeed, to object to the work and also to complain about the lack of consultation, and following this, the company announced it would be stepping back from their plans.

In a letter to residents, they said, “Many of the residents in your area have also expressed similar concerns. As a result, we at Truespeed have no intention of enforcing such rights when it is clearly against the wishes of a majority of households.

“For that reason, we have decided to remove the area of Ashtree Road from our build profile in Frome at this time. We reserve the right to revisit this decision if we experience significant demand for our service from residents affected by this position.”

One of the residents celebrating the result Lorraine Fish, said, “This is people power! When Truespeed put the signs up telling us that they were going to erect telegraph poles and wires to provide their broadband to us, I along with some of my neighbours were horrified.  So, I started a letter-writing campaign and alerted all the residents of our street with the help of one other resident Lizzy Jay.

“The reason I and all of my neighbours were opposed to Truespeed was the installation of telegraph poles and overhead wires as it would have been very unsightly in our lovely green neighbourhood. The Stonebridge estate was specifically built with all of its utilities underground.

“There’s over a hundred houses or flats in this location and I suspect that most of them sent in letters of objection as Truespeed have now cancelled their project. But the company had not consulted with Frome council or warned us before these signs went up, and although the reverse side of their reply to our letters told us that they will not be going ahead with their project, the first full page of their letter goes into great detail about their rights and why we, the residents, would not stand a chance in a tribunal.

“This company’s process was, in my opinion, predatory. So, our victory is somewhat bittersweet. Nonetheless, we are very pleased with the outcome.”

Pictured: Ashtree Road.