Broadband and you: 'Get a grip, BT'

BBC readers speak of their broadband problems as plans are announced to improve the internet provided by BT's telecoms network.

Media watchdog Ofcom says more people will have faster broadband as a result of proposals to make BT's Openreach network more independent.

Openreach's cables and wires are used by more than 30 million customers in the UK.

Its infrastructure is used not only by BT, but telephone and broadband providers such as Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone.

Jean Hughes, Dumfries

It's extremely frustrating watching the advertisements on TV showing super-fast access to fibre broadband at a much cheaper deal than I can get for poor quality standard broadband down a phone line.

Its high time someone thought about us poor people living in rural locations and concentrated on our needs for better broadband speeds, as we need it as much as everyone in the town does. There are many, many small businesses run in and around rural locations and are extremely dependent on their internet connection. Get a grip, BT!

David Tarsh, London

I work from home in the media industry, so a fast internet connection is important to me and my business. My home backs on to a small business park which has superfast broadband and houses on the opposite side of the street have superfast broadband.

However, BT Openreach says that because the cabinet to which I am connected serves a small number of customers, the cost of upgrading will be too high for it to be commercially viable.

One point that has not been made in the media is that the next generation of TV is 4K and 4K sets are on sale in stores all over the country, but to view a 4K picture, you need fibre. So the failure to deliver fibre is also holding back the progress of the whole media industry - an industry which is, in all other aspects, world-class.

Kath Stevens, Llanrhystud

My broadband speed is at best 1.2mb, but apparently I'm "lucky" to get that, because I'm at the end of a 9km line from the exchange - even though I'm only 3km away as the crow flies. However, of course I am still paying the same monthly fee as people with much faster speeds. The engineers have had to come out to repair faults on my line twice so far this year alone, and one took four months to resolve.

I don't see why it should take over a week to get someone to sort out a fault when the water and electricity companies act immediately and work through the night if necessary.

Alistair Williamson, Oxfordshire

There are 11 cabinets in Faringdon, Oxfordshire. All cabinets have been converted with the exception of the one where I live; this has not been converted, despite being only 200m from the telephone exchange.

This has had a detrimental effect on my business and leisure activities. I cannot carry out the work I wish to efficiently - I work from home - nor can I receive BT TV in HD, despite being told by BT that I would be able to. Why not complete Faringdon rather than prevail over a postcode lottery?