Communities throughout the dales are a step closer to gaining high speed internet access as BT publish their ‘trigger levels’ for the region, helping to define exactly how many more people need to sign up in each community before BT will upgrade their communications systems to support broadband.

Broadband is ideal for both business users and families as it enables not only access to the Internet at high speed so that downloading emails and website information is significantly faster, but also allows for someone use the telephone simultaneously on the same telephone number. Computer users who have not already registered as wanting to upgrade to broadband for these benefits can do so online at www.bt.com.

Andy Ryland, an active campaigner for broadband in Grassington hopes the trigger numbers will prove positive in the progress towards reaching their goal. “Only 203 more people need to register on-line in our area, which should be achievable, and to make it easier for people to register their interest the local Grassington and Threshfield campaigners group has offered to complete the registration process for them” he explains. Details are on the group’s own web site www.grassington-broadband.org or by email address register@grassington-broadband.org

Some Dales communities are much closer to their trigger number, with Airton only needing another 31 people to register and Kettlewell only 56. At the other end of the scale, Leyburn is challenged with 363 more registrations needed for their trigger.

Jane Ellison-Bates of Kilnsey based PR firm, Manifest Marketing Ltd. explains “Broadband is vital to the continuing development of small rural businesses in the dales and we need the continued enthusiasm and support of as many people as possible to campaign for the right to have what is essentially at the moment an ‘urban luxury’ brought to rural areas like this.”