The rural nature of Oxfordshire that makes it such an attractive place to live and work certainly counts against it when it comes to delivering fast broadband.

But the difficulties people have in accessing broadband in deepest Kingston Bagpuize and large swathes of the county is nevertheless inexcusable, and increasingly so with the passage of each month.

Oxfordshire County Council is right to conclude that market forces are simply not going deliver broadband to many villages and hamlets in the county. The reality is that — as with rural bus services and village post offices — there is not money to be made.

You do not have to venture very far into the Oxfordshire countryside before fibre- optic cable networks become unprofitable. Government money is being made available as Ed Vaizey, the Wantage MP and communications minister, will tell you. But with two investment funds, rules governing eligibility and limited resources, it would be highly unwise for anyone to sit waiting for a cheque to arrive from central government.

As it is, a £10m contribution from County Hall should ensure a deal with BT that will bring fast broadband to 90 per cent of the county. Without it, many more Oxfordshire businesses would certainly be condemned to years of frustration, time wasting, and (through no fault of their own) to looking behind the times and even second rate to clients and customers.

The story of Anthony Lloyd, which appears this week, gives real insight to the disadvantages faced by a hotelier maddened at not being able to provide the services that his guests demand — and having to see custom head down the road to hotels where fast broadband is not a distant dream.

We could just as easily told the story of architects unable to send plans and drawings or parents unable to enjoy skyping their children at university. The situation, alas, is not going to change overnight, while ominously ten per cent of the county faces being left behind or follow the lead of places like Islip — and hand over their own money to BT.