Help with Fibre installation and a 'd-pole'

[geckocake]

I hope someone can help resolve what appears to be an impossible situation when trying to get FTTP installed at my home. The facts are as follows:-

1. I currently have Fibre Broadband through Zen internet which is an ok(ish) 35Mbs, but I want to get FTTP installed.

2. FTTP is available with Jurassic Fibre (the only FTTP provider in my area), but when I speak to them about an installation, they say that they can't proceed as the pole to my house is marked as a d-pole (defective), and so their engineer isn't allowed to climb it and install the FTTP equipment.

3. I've tried to raise the d-pole with BT OpenReach to get it fixed/replaced, only to be told that they won't deal with me (as I'm a member of the public), only with my ISP.

4. I've spoken to Zen Internet (who are usually pretty good), who say they can't do anything as the service they're providing works fine.

So I now appear to be stuck between three different suppliers, and none of them can (or will) do anything about the situation. The pole itself has a red 'D' notice on it with a plate where the 22, 5 & G, H & J punched out - so presumably May '22, but not sure what the G, H & J mean.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to resolve this?

Thanks.

[dombullion]

I think Jurassic would need to liase with Openreach directly to get the issue with the pole rectified.
Openreach will never speak to members of the public unfortunately which isn't very helpful.

[Keith_Beddoe · Accepted solution]

@geckocake 

This is a BT Retail Customer Forum, and has no connection with Openreach.

Please post on the Zen Users Forum https://forum.zen.co.uk/

Someone there should be able to help.

Alternatively, you will have to contact  Jurassic Fibre.

[geckocake]

Hi Keith,

Thanks, I have tried the Zen forums with no luck unfortunately, which is why I'm trying here. I appreciate this is a BT Retail forum but was hoping someone may have some help or advice I can use. I'd happily go with BT if they offered FTTP in my area, but unfortunately my options are very limited due to where I live 😞

Thanks.

[imjolly]

if there are no fibre connections on the pole not sure how you can get FTTP.  your address would show FTTP available before you can order and from what you have posted your address does not have FTTP available

what do you get if you enter address

https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL

I have a 'D' pole in my area and openreach used a cherry picker to install the FTTP on the pole 

[geckocake]

Hi dombullion,

I've tried to get Jurassic Fibre to speak to OpenReach, but they can't/won't do this as they believe that OpenReach will then try and charge them to fix the d-pole (which has apparently happened before with other similar installations). As always, it seems to be coming down to cost 😞

Thanks.

[geckocake]

Hi imjolly,

Jurassic Fibre have been laying their own fibre outside my house and next to the pole, which is why they can offer FTTP and no-one else can (and it's how I found out about them, as their van was outside my house for a day or so while they pulled the fibre through some existing cable ducts/sewers). 

Apparently, the FTTP installation involves new equipment at the top of the pole which is why they require access to the pole itself. I'll speak to them about using a cherrypicker, but they implied that as it's d-pole, they simply weren't allowed to touch the pole at all.

Thanks.

[imjolly]

if it is not openreach doing the fibre cable installing then openreach are not going to bother about your connection and 'd' pole problems.

as this has nothing to do with BT Retail and there is no link from this forum to openreach I can't see how anyone here can help and you need to keep at Jurassic fibre

[iniltous]

Leaving aside the ‘cheeky’ nature of enquiring with BT about your issues with a competitor company, that uses a regulator imposed , arguably parasitic , relationship with OR to reduce that company’s cost of provision, if this other company cannot deliver what they said they would , it’s ( obviously ) not got anything to do with BT

If this other company uses Openreach PIA assets to provide service , then if the Openreach asset is unavailable in the normal way ( a  Defective pole for example ) then the procedure for this presumably is within the terms of the PIA agreement, personally I would think it very unfair if these competitors companies can demand that OR deal with this pole in anything other than the usual order of these things…so if ( for example ) a D pole takes 6 moths from being reported to being rectified,( and it’s probably much , much longer than that )   then that’s how long it takes….there are many possible reasons for a pole to be ‘D’ , it’s not just D for decay…most categories of D just mean it cannot be accessed from a ladder …..if this other company don’t have the means to access a pole that is accessible , just not with a ladder , then that’s entirely up to them , if the category of D means  no new attachments ( wires ) can be added , as a customer of that company it’s for them to keep you informed of what they will or won’t be be doing, if the pole already has the maximum number of wires ( for example ) then to add more wires requires a pole replacement with a ‘larger’ pole .

As far as this other company potentially being charged by OR to change out a defective pole , what’s wrong with that …..if you ( and this other company ) didn’t want to access this pole , then this pole would remain exactly as it is , why should OR have the considerable expense of potentially replacing this pole when all they get in return is literally a few penny’s per month from this Alt Net in PIA access charge , for 1 wire on 1 pole, and presumably the terms of the PIA agreement are such that if the Alt Net wants to use this pole and Openreach don’t have an order for a OR based service provider , then the Alt Net pays for the privilege of moving this work up OR’s ‘to do’ list.