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Articles for Category Tag - Building Digital UK

Government Offers GBP382K to Fibre GarDen Project in Cumbria UK

11th July, 2014 (2 Comments)

After a period of uncertainty the community owned co-operative Digital Dales (Fibre GarDen) project, which hopes to build a new fibre optic (FTTP) based superfast broadband (50-100Mbps) network in rural parts of Garsdale and Dentdale (Cumbria, England), might finally be back on track thanks to an offer of £382,500 in public funding.

Europe Offers Support to Local Community Broadband Projects

10th July, 2014 (0 Comments)

The European Commission (EC) has today moved to complement their Digital Agenda project, which aims to make broadband speeds of 30Mbps+ available to all EU homes come 2020, by launching a new “Connected Communities” initiative that offers additional funding and support to local community broadband partnerships and operators.

Wireless Network Set to Help Fill Perthshire’s Broadband Gaps

9th July, 2014 (1 Comment)

The Highland Perthshire Communities Partnership, a registered charity that has support from Atholl Estates and the Perth and Kinross Council in Scotland, has announced that it won’t wait for BT’s upgrade and instead plans to fill-in some of the regions broadband notspots and slowspots by building a new wireless network.

B4RN Explains the Problem of Bidding for Public Broadband Funds

9th July, 2014 (29 Comments)

The CEO of B4RN’s 1000Mbps capable fibre optic broadband (FTTP/H) roll-out in rural Lancashire (England), Barry Forde, has offered up an interest insight into the difficulty of being an alternative network operator to BT when bidding for public funds from the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) office.

Poor Broadband and IT Skills Fuel Criticism of UK Digital by Default Policy

8th July, 2014 (14 Comments)

The Government’s new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and so-called “digital by default” strategy, which among other things seeks to save money by making some services online-only, faced criticism in the House of Commons on Monday after MPs blasted it for being introduced before some rural farmers could even get access to a good broadband connection.

Isle of Wight Begins Much Delayed Superfast Broadband Rollout

8th July, 2014 (6 Comments)

The Isle of Wight, after last year becoming one of the very last Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programmes to be approved due to some initial competition concerns with BT’s bid (here and here), has finally started its local roll-out of superfast broadband (FTTC) connectivity on the island in central southern England and good progress is being made.

39 New Local Growth Deals to Improve Superfast Broadband in England

7th July, 2014 (2 Comments)

The Government has today announced an investment of £6bn to help fund the first wave of 39 new Growth Deals with businesses and local authorities across England, which among other things will also bring new money to build new homes and improve the coverage of superfast broadband services alongside the Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programme.

RCBF Fails Target to Give 70000 Rural Premises Superfast Broadband

5th July, 2014 (25 Comments)

The government’s controversial £20 million Rural Community Broadband Fund (RCBF), which originally aimed to help remote rural areas in the last 5-10% of England gain access to superfast broadband, will fall well short of its original target to help up to 70,000 premises and is instead only set to pass between 20-25,000 premises.

Small Progress on Broadband Cover and 7 Digit Postcodes in Cumbria

4th July, 2014 (7 Comments)

The Cumbria County Council and BT have finally given a full 7-digit postcode level breakdown (albeit in verbal form) of their anticipated superfast broadband (FTTC/P) coverage in the region, although unfortunately the data is only for the Grasmere telephone exchange area.

UPDATE London’s Tech City Still Suffering a Lack of Superfast Broadband

4th July, 2014 (13 Comments)

The government’s plans for Shoreditch’s Tech City have been criticised by Labour MP Meg Hillier after it was claimed that around a third of local businesses, not to mention many homes, are still without access to high-speed broadband, while the £3,000 Connection Voucher (“Super-Connected Cities“) scheme that was setup to help has been branded as a “national embarrassment“.

UPDATE West Yorkshire Name Phase 2 Rollout for BT Fibre Broadband

4th July, 2014 (8 Comments)

The £21.96m Superfast West Yorkshire project in England, which is working to roll-out BT’s “high-speed fibre broadband” (FTTC/P) network to cover 97% of local homes and businesses (708,000 premises) by the end of Autumn 2015, has started the second phase of its local deployment. There’s also some good news for Exchange Only Lines (EOL).

UPDATE UK Government Targets 100% Superfast Broadband Coverage

3rd July, 2014 (34 Comments)

The Government’s Communications Minister, Edward Vaizey (MP), has today told the House of Commons that the money they’ve already allocated should “give us the figure we need to get to 100%” (coverage of superfast broadband connectivity). We remain to be convinced.

Devon and Somerset Name 42 New Communities for Fibre Broadband

3rd July, 2014 (0 Comments)

The joint £94m Connecting Devon and Somerset programme in England, which is working to make BT’s “fibre optic broadband” (FTTC/P) service available to more than 90% of local premises by the end of 2016 and hopefully 100% by 2020, has today announced a list of the next 42 communities that will benefit from its roll-out.

Durham Starts Phase 2 of its BDUK and BT Superfast Broadband Rollout

2nd July, 2014 (3 Comments)

The £25m Digital Durham programme in England, which was recently extended (here) and now aims to make BT’s “fibre broadband” (FTTC/P) network available to 98% of local premises by September 2016 (note: 96% will get “superfast” speeds of 25Mbps+), has begun the second phase of its roll-out by upgrading the Frosterley telephone exchange.

Go Digital Newcastle UK Begins Phase One BT Fibre Broadband Rollout

1st July, 2014 (22 Comments)

The £3.8m Go Digital Newcastle project, which aims to make BT’s “high-speed fibre broadband” service available to 97% of local homes and businesses in Newcastle-upon-Tyne by the end of Summer 2015, has teamed up with Pupils from Walker Technology College to switch-on its first FTTC street cabinet in Wyedale Way (Walker).

Merseyside Connected Brings BT Fibre Broadband to North Liverpool

1st July, 2014 (0 Comments)

The £15.9m Merseyside Connected project and £150m Project Jennifer scheme have teamed up to help BT roll-out their faster “fibre broadband” (FTTC/P) network to reach more homes and businesses in Northern Liverpool, where the regeneration of Great Homer Street is now taking place.

Somerset UK Finds GBP2.18m to Boost Superfast Broadband Coverage

1st July, 2014 (1 Comment)

Despite recent funding concerns from the Devon side of the joint £94m Connecting Devon and Somerset project in England, which is currently working with BT to make “fibre optic broadband” (FTTC/P) available to more than 90% of local premises by the end of 2016, the Somerset County Council has managed to find an extra £2.18m to fund expanded coverage.