Dear Sir / Madam.

I note you are canvassing opinion about the future of broadband. I would like to draw to your attention my particular circumstances.

I am a professional voice-over artist. Over the past fifteen years, the nature of my business has been revolutionised by advances in and the availability of data technology. In the past, I used to have to travel almost forty-thousand miles a year, from studio to studio, to earn my living. The advent of ISDN lines, installed in ones home, has meant I can now be connected to any production unit / radio / TV station anywhere in the world, for whom I am able to supply my service.

Before I bought my current home, I needed the 'permission' of British Telecom as ISDN will not function beyond a certain distance from the exchange. This, I understand, is a similar situation for Broadband. At the moment, my internet connection is capable of achieving download speeds of around 500Kbps and uploads of 250Kbps.

Within the next few years, British Telecom, I am told, will phase out ISDN. There are new technologies and protocols emerging which would replace ISDN and enable high quality voice to be 'transmitted' using a broadband connection instead of ISDN. This means that people like myself who rely TOTALLY on a data connection to earn their living, would be able to continue so to do.

However, these new technologies require FAST broadband connections. As I live at the extremity of the exchange capability, it would appear I am going to be considerably disadvantaged and may even have to move home, unless the broadband infrastructure is improved to assist people like myself.

I trust you will take note of my particular circumstances when considering what requirement to impose on providers.

Yours faithfully,

John Mundy