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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

Ofcom Calls on UK Telecoms Firms to Extend COVID-19 Billing Support

3rd July, 2020 (3 Comments)

The UK communications and media regulator, Ofcom, has this week called on broadband ISPs, phone providers and mobile operators to “continue to support” consumers who may be struggling to pay their bills as a result of the on-going Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Broadway Partners Picked for 2 Pembrokeshire Broadband Pilots UPDATE

2nd July, 2020 (0 Comments)

The Pembrokeshire (Sir Benfro) council in South West Wales has today announced that Broadway Partners (UK ISP Broadway Broadband) have been chosen to build two new pilot networks in rural parts of the county, which will aim to deliver “gigabit-capable” broadband speeds to local premises. More pilots are expected to follow.

Lords Make Changes to Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill

30th June, 2020 (9 Comments)

The UK House of Lords has made a couple of key amendments to the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill (here), which aims to make it significantly easier, quicker and cheaper for “gigabit-capable” broadband ISPs to access big apartment blocks (MDU) when “rogue landlords” fail to respond.

Broadband ISPs Respond to Boris Johnson’s Call to Build, Build, Build

30th June, 2020 (60 Comments)

The UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has today pledged to accelerate new infrastructure projects by establishing something called Project Speed to “scythe through red tape and get things done,” although unfortunately the announcement was rather short on specifics (or anything truly new) for broadband and mobile.

Fears of More Broadband Delays in Scotland from Gigaclear’s Lawsuit

29th June, 2020 (19 Comments)

At the end of last year the Scottish Government revealed that LOT 1 of their £600m R100 (Reaching 100%) project, which had given BT “preferred bidder” status and was aiming to extend “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) coverage, had become the subject of a legal challenge by Gigaclear. Sadly the case is now threatening more delays.

Lords Tell UK Gov to Stop Pandemic of Internet Misinformation

29th June, 2020 (9 Comments)

A new cross-party report from the House of Lords Digital Technologies Committee has called on the UK Gov to ensure that their future Online Harms Bill can tackle the rising “pandemic of misinformation” on the internet, which they warn is a “threat” to democracy. More censorship and blocking by broadband ISPs is proposed.

West Sussex UK Boosts Rural Gigabit Broadband Vouchers to £4k

26th June, 2020 (4 Comments)

The West Sussex County Council has joined other parts of the UK in helping to top-up the Government’s £200m Rural Gigabit Connectivity (RGC) programme with some of their own funding, which more than doubles the maximum value of vouchers to help local homes get a “gigabit-capable broadband” service installed.

Government to Splash £500m on OneWeb Broadband Satellites

26th June, 2020 (30 Comments)

The UK Government will reportedly invest around £500m (equity) into British-registered space company OneWeb as part of a wider private-sector consortium bid. The firm has been busy building a global network of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites for ultrafast broadband, but as part of the deal it may have to deliver GPS too.

79,000 Premises in Wales Remain Without Superfast Broadband UPDATE

24th June, 2020 (20 Comments)

The Welsh Government (WG) has today issued a short update on their various broadband schemes, which among other things reveals that 79,000 properties (categorised as “white premises”) still do not have access to “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) and won’t benefit from any future roll-out plans within the next 3 years.

Northumberland and Cumbria Prep Broadband Voucher Boost UPDATE

24th June, 2020 (5 Comments)

A recent update on the planned £350m Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal has confirmed that internet slowspots in Northumberland and Cumbria (England) will “shortly” be able to take advantage of a new £4m Digital Borderlands Voucher Scheme, which will enable locals to access bigger vouchers to help install gigabit broadband.

TUC – Invest in UK Broadband and Create 40,000 Telecoms Jobs

24th June, 2020 (2 Comments)

A new report by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), which is based on research from Transition Economics, has called on the UK Government to “fast track” spending on projects such as gigabit broadband, green technology, transport and housing in order to deliver a 1.24 million jobs boost by 2022 (40,000 in telecoms alone).

New Report Calls for VAT Cut and Broadband to Aid UK Economy

22nd June, 2020 (11 Comments)

The Policy Exchange, which is an educational charity that also claims to be the UK’s leading think tank, has published a new report that calls on the UK Government to help the post-COVID19 recovery by, among other things, investing more into “gigabit broadband” and reducing VAT from 20% to 15%.. again.

New £4.44m Contract Set to Rollout Full Fibre in South Essex UK

22nd June, 2020 (3 Comments)

The Thurrock Council has announced that a contract for delivery of the £4.436 million state aid funded Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) build across South Essex, which aims to connect 129 public sector sites across Basildon, Brentwood, Castle Point, Rochford and Thurrock with gigabit capable broadband, will soon be awarded.

City of London Corp Giving Out Free 4G Mobile Data and Dongle

18th June, 2020 (16 Comments)

The City of London Corporation has today announced that they will be handing out a “one off pre-loaded dongle device free of charge that will provide data to access the internet,” which will be provided to those who may be unable to leave home as a result of COVID-19 or cannot afford their own broadband access.

MLL Telecom Win Nottinghamshire Wide Area Network Contract

18th June, 2020 (0 Comments)

Business ISP MLL Telecom has today announced that they’ve been chosen by Nottinghamshire County Council as the sole UK supplier for a regional 4-year framework and the related provision of Wide Area Network (WAN) services (site-to-site and site-to-internet/cloud connectivity). The framework has a value of £250m.

Vodafone Reach First UK Village via 4G Shared Rural Network

17th June, 2020 (11 Comments)

Mobile operator Vodafone has announced that the small village of Devauden in the Wye Valley (Wales) has become the first to receive a faster 4G based mobile (mobile broadband) service as part of the new £1bn Shared Rural Network (SRN), which aims to help extend geographic 4G cover to 95% of the UK by the end of 2025.

Cross-party UK MPs Seek Free Broadband for 1.3 Million Kids

15th June, 2020 (42 Comments)

A cross-party group of MPs will this week reportedly propose a new bill, which seeks to help solve the current COVID-19 (Coronavirus) induced education crisis by requiring that up to 1.3 million school children (i.e. those eligible for free school meals) are also equipped with free broadband connectivity to help them learn.