Broadband customers in several Northumberland villages have been left wondering what happens next after outages struck parts of Fusion Fibre’s rural network. Residents in Cambois and Amble reportedly spent several days without a connection earlier this month, while problems have also been reported in Rothbury and other communities.
Some customers said they were unable to get through to the company while their broadband was down. That is particularly worrying in rural areas, where a fibre connection may be used for working from home, accessing services and keeping in contact with relatives, rather than simply watching television.
The outages come as HM Revenue and Customs pursues Fusion Fibre over unpaid debts. HMRC filed a winding-up petition on 29 July, but this is not the same as a winding-up order. Fusion Fibre has not been placed into liquidation and its website remained online and accepting orders at the time of writing.
Image Credit: Search Northumberland
Cambois Beach in Northumberland offers good views of Newbiggin Church Point
Why customers may have fewer alternatives
Fusion Fibre, previously known as FACTCO, has built Full Fibre networks in communities including Cambois, Amble, Stocksfield and Rothbury. Some of this work was supported through the government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, which helps fund connections in places commercial providers might otherwise avoid.
In some villages, Fusion Fibre does more than sell the broadband package. It also operates the physical network carrying it. Moving to another provider may therefore depend on whether Openreach, Virgin Media or another fibre network reaches the property. Customers should check their exact address before assuming an alternative is available.
Anyone whose connection is working should not cancel it or stop paying simply because a petition has been filed. Customers experiencing problems should record when the outage began, save any emails and screenshots, and make a formal complaint. An unresolved complaint can be taken to the Communications Ombudsman after six weeks or once Fusion Fibre issues a deadlock letter.
