Virgin Media: council refused installation?

[Brian Cowe]

We had a nice chap from Virgin Media around this morning to install
broadband. Unfortunately, the "cable pulling" division had not turned
up previously, so there was no cable at the edge of the property for
them to connect, so they went away, promising to find out why.

I've just received a call from them, telling me that they had found
out the situation -- when the cable pulling people called the council
(they didn't say which one and I didn't ask, but we're on Arbury Road,
so I assume the city council), the council refused permission to do
the pulling.

Does this really happen? Anyone here ever heard of such a thing in
Cambridge?

/Brian

[Rupert Moss-Eccardt]

Unless this is a City Council property (or former council house) I would
expect the 'council' to be the County, especially if the 'pulling'
counts as Street Works. I imagine that the County Council won't want
street works in Arbury Road in the peak, especially with other road
closures at the moment. Which end?

[rosen...@cix.compulink.co.uk]

In article <pBC*TF...@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk>,
bri...@chiark.greenend.org.uk (Brian Cowe) wrote:

No. Can you give any more details, by email if preferred?

--
Colin Rosenstiel

[Brian Cowe]

In article <9cu72v...@mid.individual.net>,

Rupert Moss-Eccardt <r.moss-...@computer.org> wrote:
>Unless this is a City Council property (or former council house) I would
>expect the 'council' to be the County, especially if the 'pulling'
>counts as Street Works. I imagine that the County Council won't want
>street works in Arbury Road in the peak, especially with other road
>closures at the moment. Which end?

Ah, that makes sense, with school starting and Victoria Road closed et
al. It's the Milton Road end, but I don't know where the distribution
box is, so I don't know what would need to be dug up, if anything. It
is (and always has been AFAIK) privately owned.

I'll have a look on the County web site, thanks for the tip. All I
really want to know is what would allow permission to be given -- eg
wait until half term or whatever. Maybe I will find a clue.

/Brian

[cpp4ever]

You perhaps need to know the right people, success in the modern world
is more a matter of luck and knowing the right people than it's been
since Victorian times. You could always try your local MP, but I
wouldn't hold out much hope there.

[Alan Truehate]

"cpp4ever" <n2xssvv.g...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:QWlaq.2249$pY6....@newsfe23.ams2...

Yeah, he'll be too busy fiddling his expenses to be bothered with doing his
job properly.

[Espen Koht]

In article <9cu72v...@mid.individual.net>,
Rupert Moss-Eccardt <r.moss-...@computer.org> wrote:

Has this change recently? A few years ago I was confidently told by a
contractor that because they were a registered telco they could pretty
much do what they wanted in terms of digging up roads as long as they
had the right insurance in place and put in the right types of
notifications. I didn't get around to testing this (it would have
affected the Ring Road) because we found an arrangement through an
existing duct instead.

[Brian Cowe]

In article <XNCdndAeUK-mdPTT...@giganews.com>,

<rosen...@cix.compulink.co.uk> wrote:
>No. Can you give any more details, by email if preferred?

I don't have a lot else, but what I do know is that the installation
date was agreed as today, and the people this morning said that they
would expect there to be a loop of cable placed at the border of our
property approx two days ago (there wasn't). What else would be
useful?

Interestingly, Rupert's response led me to this Street Work
notification web page for Virgin Media work today (until Tuesday
apparently):

http://cambridgeshire.elgin.gov.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=streetworks.streetworksDetail&se_id=26117986

Looks like this could be related to the work (we're near Leys Road, so
this is a plausible site for our junction box), although it could be
something else completely. But it does show that work isn't simply
being refused.

/Brian

[Rupert Moss-Eccardt]

There are some routes that require more 'co-ordination', especially
those requiring high availability.

Also, the New Roads and Street Works Act requires collaboration with the
Highways Authority if traffic management is required in roads that will
significantly impact bus routes.

[rosen...@cix.compulink.co.uk]

In article <khr*db...@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk>,

It's very odd as the cable ducts should be there. It would then just be a
matter of pulling cables, not requiring any diversion of traffic.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

[tony sayer]

In article <jvl*TQ...@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk>, Brian Cowe
<bri...@chiark.greenend.org.uk> scribeth thus

AIUI they have their ducts which they can do what they like with as and
when they like, rather like BT. They don't have to ask the council
permission unless they what to lay some more ducting which these days
they don't normally do . They have the right to serve most every house
in the cable franchise. Sounds to me like some BS has been administered
somewhere..

--
Tony Sayer