The UK Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) has today announced the shortlist of potential winners for the “Internet Hero” category of their 2022 internet industry awards event, which is due to take place on the 24th November 2022 at the Landmark Hotel in London.
Last year’s event saw Helen Milner (OBE) of the Good Things Foundation being named as an “Internet Hero” for the group’s efforts to tackle digital inclusion. By comparison, this year’s nominees include Marcus Hughes of the Better Internet Dashboard (BIDB) project, broadband ISP B4RN, satellite broadband provider Starlink (SpaceX) and the Digital Poverty Alliance (more details on all these below).
Steve Leighton, ISPA Chair, said: “The annual ISPA awards celebrates the great and the good in the ISP sector over the past twelve months. The Internet Hero & Villain categories are a great opportunity to celebrate those who have contributed to our sector in the past year, whilst also reflecting on some of the serious issues we have faced. I am delighted to congratulate all the organisations shortlisted for this year’s Internet Hero award and wait with bated breath to discover who has earned this year’s much desired Internet Villain title.”
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The following shortlist was produced by the ISPA crowdsourcing recommendations from the public via social media and canvassing its own members.
ISPA Internet Hero Shortlist for 2022
Marcus Hughes, the Better Internet Dashboard (BIDB)
Better Internet Dashboard (Marcus Hughes) – for the development of an open access tool that helps map the rollout of new UK broadband and mobile networks and help the UK public track the real time progress of ISP progress to full ‘gigabit capable’ coverage.B4RN (Broadband for the Rural North)
For their continued work to help connect remote areas through their community driven broadband infrastructure and services. After winning the Hero award 10 years ago, the nomination highlights their legacy delivering to rural communities.Digital Poverty Alliance
For bringing together the various digital inclusion projects and initiatives from across civil society and industry at a time where it has never been needed moreStarlink
For providing essential satellite broadband services to Ukraine following the Russian invasion.
It may be worth noting that Elon Musk (Starlink’s boss) has recently been causing some headaches with respect to his position on Ukraine, which may cloud what has otherwise been a positive contribution. But our vote this time around would probably go to Marcus Hughes.
BIDB is a great tool, getting this far is at least some good recognition. Hopefully it bags the award.
Agreed!
Everything you said and more, good luck to BIDB 🙂
Elon Musk proposed an off ramp to end the war. There is no way to end the war with a full Russian withdrawal and Kiev not in ruins. Stating such an obvious fact does not cloud his contribution to Ukraine
Also, isn’t this supposed to be a UK award? Why do contributions abroad account for this?
I was talking more about the disconnection of many Starlink units due to funding issues and the conflicting statements made, but yes, the political statements are another factor too, depending upon your perspective. I’m not going to get into the latter side though because it’s ugly and, unlike Musk, I recognise it’s not my place to interject on something so serious, and where I have no experience.
The news about the disconnection of terminals was in response to a Ukraine leader telling Elon to go away in a bad way. They actually weren’t removed as they are funded by many other entities
If no one is supposed to interject besides the ones at the top making poor decisions, then only poor decisions will be made unchallenged
why are you saying they “weren’t removed” ?
The man cut off 1300 terminals. CNN headline: “Ukraine suffered a comms outage when 1,300 SpaceX satellite units went offline over funding issues”.
Why simp for Musk?
CNN is the posterchild of no journalist ethics, partisan propaganda and false information. It is great for the world that their ratings are in the toilet and most of their activist staff got fired
Elon literally tweeted on the 16th that he will keep the satellites
yeah found the Musk fanboi. No point in having further convo really is there since you’re going to just deny it or attack the source. There are multiple other news sources, are you really honestly suggesting it didn’t happen? He cut them off. Then he cried to the US gov to pay for it. He charges them thousands a month for what costs normal people $110 a month.
Yeah he put them back. But he absolutely cut them off. Because he’s a manchild who got upset when people understandably didn’t like his idea for Ukraine to just hand over parts of it’s country to the RuZZians, something you seem to think is ok too, probably because Musk said it.
indeed. I find it so amusing people simp for Musk. He’s just Bezos with better PR, if anything he’s worse because he has to have his spoilt child tantrums publicly.
He cut them off because he wanted to charge the US DOD $$$$$$$$$$ to keep them going, I suspect someone put him back in line and all of a sudden things are remaining “operational” as they were because he was already milking the users. You can see tweets from Ukrainians paying the bills at hugely inflated costs.
It’s like watching Kanye have some episode, only he’s a manchild “memelord” and people find it amusing, rather than outright destructive.
Lets see how long Twitter lasts. His only offramp for SpaceX IMO is if the US Gov buys it / runs it and he just launches replacement satellites. The little vanity project has a limited shelf life IMO.
Individuals thinking that CNN is a source are the same ones that think voting for the opposition is a threat for democracy
It is a fact that satellites are still in operation in Ukraine, it is another fact that the Ukrainian leader told him to go away.
But people like you will keep falling for the hoax that if more of our tax money gets sent there then Putin will quietly disappear and take his army into the mist. It is a very childish way of thinking, does not account the fact that Russia has nukes and things can easily escalate, nor the fact that most people in eastern Ukraine are ethnically Ukrainian and voted for a pro Ukrainian candidate, nor the fact that Ukraine has a literal nazi group, the Azov battalion
Correction, people in Western Ukraine identify as Ukrainian, but majority in East identify as Russian and voted for the pro Russia candidate. The latest election was an east vs west with the west very very narrowly winning
Speaking of CNN, check out the Guardian, a similar leftist propaganda outlet like CNN, on Feb 2015 – Welcome to Ukraine, the most corrupt nation in Europe
Or even Reuters March 2018 – Ukraines neo nazi problem
Agreeing with a position = simping. You have no arguments and are just using ad hominem in bad faith
For the record Elon does probably more harm than he does good. He continuously parroted the WEF propaganda such as the universal basic income, the one world government, among others.
But only a fool would deny all the great things he has brought to the table such as making the electric car a viable solution for transportation and reinvigorated the space exploration or even in the case of this article, providing alternatives for internet
I have no argument? Ad-Hominem eh? Do you know what it means or just repeating things you’ve read on reddit? A criticism of your post is not an ad-hominem. Saying you simp for Musk is not an ad-hominem. But I like how you try to shut down conversation by throwing that one out there.
Had a look in a mirror lately? You denied something happened because I chose CNN as a source. I suppose the Ukrainians who said oh look my Starlink is dead were lying too. Musk didn’t deny it when it was reported, instead he complained that the article said that terminals had been “paid for when only a small percentage have been”. Now why do you think he didn’t deny it? because it’s true.
You still haven’t disproven me, you just attacked the source. Then you say I’m doing an ad-hominem (I’m not, and people who actually know what it means and read my comments will know that, but ok) I could have picked any other and you’d probably have gone off on one about that publication too. Only good source seems to be one that fits your confirmation bias.
You seem to agree with Musk about Ukraine handing over territory, I find that repulsive as do the Ukrainians. Most people are not in support of Putin and his illegal war. Do you think USA would have handed over part of their country to the Japanese in WW2? I sincerely doubt it. Do you think England would have decided which part of their country to give up to the Germans? Do you think the French would have been happy to give up their land? So why Ukraine? Why should they? They’ve been attacked by a despot and had fake illegal referendums. They had an entire peninsula stolen in 2014.
“making the electric car a viable solution for transportation”
Elon didn’t create Tesla. Martin Eberhard did. Musk came in, threw money at it and fired the man who created it. And you think Musk is responsible for it being a viable solution. hah.
Agreeing isn’t simping no. “Simp is an internet slang term describing someone who shows excessive sympathy and attention toward another person,” < describes you to a tee.
@Wilson OMG there are neo-Nazi's in one brigade of Ukraine, totally deserves Russia going to war with them and taking their land, doesn't it? My god.. there's a few Russian speakers in East Ukraine, that means it's ok for Putin to annex them. I hope the Germans living in Ham don't annex Ham. Ruzzians are terrorists, the war is illegal, people who simp for them disgust me. Men, women, children .. dead. Because of Putin. And you think that's OK because look theres a few nazis in Azov. I wonder how you'd react, if it were your family shot dead, civilians just going about their business and are murdered in the street by terrorists. Disgusting.
Facts:
1. Elon Musk cut off 130,000 Starlink terminals.
2. Elon suggested Ukraine should give up territory in a war to Ruzzians.
3. The majority of people in Eastern Ukraine do not identify as Ruzzian. Some do, but some isn't a majority.
4. The war on Ukraine is illegal.
Most of your paragraphs all ad hominem non sense, calling anyone who disagrees with your narrow CNN world view a simp and unable of any form of critical thinking
Fact checks:
1. Starlink terminals are still up
2. Elon suggested talks should be had in order to avoid an endless war and possibility of WW3. With no off ramp then the war just does not end
3. The majority of people in Eastern Ukraine do identify as Russian. Go look at the last legal election where as Wilson pointed out, the pro Russia candidate won
4. “War illegal” This is a strawman, no one argued otherwise
Regarding Tesla: No one cared about electric cars before the model S proved it had a viable business case
@Elongated Muskrat
@Pablo
Fact – War is illegal, Musk is a nutter.
End of story
Shame they put Musk on that list, for “Ukraine” when he tried cut off 1,300 of their terminals over funding. And also tried to claim he paid for it himself when he didn’t (the US government did).