Yorkshire town hits broadband target

A small town in West Yorkshire has become the first place to achieve the trigger level needed for BT to upgrade the area's local exchange. Two hundred locals in Todmorden, West Yorkshire registered an interest in getting a home broadband internet connection with BT's broadband registration scheme. Under the registration scheme BT set a trigger level of 200 user registrations for the Todmorden exchange because it said it reflected the costs of providing a broadband service there. Now the 200 target has been reached, service providers will validate the demand at Todmorden so work can begin on upgrading the exchange for broadband. At least 150 people must now sign up for a broadband service with an ISP. According to BT, over 71,000 people have registered their interest in broadband via the scheme and demand at 17 exchanges now exceeds 50 per cent of the trigger level set. BT Wholesale director of broadband Bruce Stanford said: "There is no doubt that local campaigns have helped drive demand. Now it's time for us to continue working together with the broadband service providers to bring broadband to Todmorden and more exchanges in the coming months." Exchanges at Penn in Buckinghamshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Inverness, Bishops Waltham in Hampshire and Irby on the Wirral are also nearing the magical target.