Sunday, September 7, 2003

Broadband has now arrived in Hebden Bridge, and is available from our recently formed local co-operative ISP (Internet Service Provider), Calder Connect Co-operative (3-C).

At the beginning of this year, Hebden Bridge was not even being considered for broadband. The Hebden Bridge Web was at the forefront of a successful campaign to bring broadband to Hebden Bridge.

Read more on Hebweb the campaign which started in March 2002

The campaign success led to a group forming to create an ISP to provide this service, and to make sure that Hebden Bridge never gets left behind in this way again. This group is 3-C.

3-C now has 267 members and a core team with a wide range of digital, technical and admin backgrounds.

3-C is run by local people so that it will put members of our community and businesses first. It's not-for-profit - any surplus will go back into the organisation to drive prices down.

3-C prices are already lower than its competitors at £20 a month - they hope to have driven the prices down to £15 over the first two years.

3-C members will have a wireless option. Many members will connect using wireless hubs which are being set up in Hebden Bridge and elsewhere in the Upper Calder Valley.

Within the next few weeks members will be able to use their wirelessly enabled laptops and PDAs in cafes and pubs in the centre of Hebden Bridge and be connected wirelessly to the Internet through 3-C. They will also be able to access wirelessİhubs up and down the valleyİfrom Sowerby Bridge to Todmorden as the service grows.

Full information on the Hebweb or at the 3-C website at www.3-C.CoOp

More news from the Hebden Bridge Web