I say my broadband is !*&%. 

!*&% has 4 characters: They might represent the word "slow" but might just be one or another expletive.

Does anybody else in Levens feel their broadband is way too slow?

Are you aware (see Westmorland Gazette 28 October page 4, "Internet race") that BT is having a competition for Cumbrian residents to demonstrate demand for super-fast broadband, and that the "top five areas " so demonstrated, will be upgraded by 2012?

What BT means by an "area" I don't know, maybe the villages can't compete with Carlisle or Kendal, but get in there and vote online (see below). When you do, I've been asked to point out the following:-

1. if  'phone number is not recognised' --- choose to say NO, you are not a BT customer

2. if you do that, remember to check 'I don't want any advertising emailed to me' (unless you do, of course!)

Test your existing speed with the speed checker links below. I have used the BT one before, but it doesn't seem to be working today (01 Nov 2010) - wrong! it just took a long time. The other two, also checked at c4 p.m. today, both gave me less than 500Kb download/250Kb upload speeds. The problem with it seems to be that c500kb download is all BT can give me of their "up to 8Mb" package.

While I'm OK for emails and internet shopping etc. anything involving decent sized images e.g. BBC iPlayer is unusable. I think BBC iPlayer sets the minimum we should regard as acceptable nowadays.

What's your broadband like?