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Articles for Category Tag - Building Digital UK

UPDATE2 Lords Inquiry Calls for UK to Deploy Robust Fibre Optic Broadband

31st July, 2012 (37 Comments)

The House of Lords Select Committee Inquiry into the UK government’s superfast broadband plan has published its first report, which criticises the lack of “strategy” and failure to focus upon “eliminating” the rural digital divide. Crucially it calls for the roll-out of a “robust and resilient national network” that should be linked primarily by open access fibre optic lines; but only if home owners pay for it first.

EU Giving High Priority to Resolution of UK Superfast Broadband Delay

30th July, 2012 (7 Comments)

The European Commission (EC) has given a “high priority” to resolving competition concerns over the UK governments allocation of State Aid for its national superfast broadband deployment, which appears to be delaying the approval of funding for several related Local Broadband Plans (LBP).

Smaller UK Altnet ISPs form Group to Challenge BT for Public Broadband Funds

24th July, 2012 (5 Comments)

The Independent Networks Cooperative Association (INCA), which works to support the development of next generation internet access around the UK, has announced the forming of a new group of smaller ISPs that could challenge BT’s apparent dominance of the publicly funded superfast broadband roll-out. But is it too little, too late?

Virgin Media UK Expand 120Mb Broadband to Habrough and Stallingborough

20th July, 2012 (13 Comments)

Community engagement group One Voice has managed to secure “significant investment” from Virgin Media that will see the cable operator expanding its 120Mbps (Megabits) capable broadband services into the communities of Habrough and Stallingborough in north east Lincolnshire UK.

No Surprise as Wales UK Award GBP425m Superfast Broadband Contract to BT

19th July, 2012 (28 Comments)

The Welsh Government (WG) has today surprised nobody by awarding its £425m contract for the Next Generation Broadband Wales tender to BT. But of course it would as the telecoms giant has been the only bidder since January 2012 (here) when rival Fujitsu UK “voluntarily” withdrew due to the “risk levels“.

North Yorkshire UK Awards GBP70m Superfast Broadband Contract to BT

17th July, 2012 (49 Comments)

The North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) has announced that its £70m Connecting North Yorkshire (CNY) project, which aims to make superfast broadband ISP services available to “100% of businesses and citizens … by 2017” (90% by 2015), has unsurprisingly been awarded to BT.

Worcestershire UK Council Vents Anger at EU for Broadband Rollout Delay

17th July, 2012 (2 Comments)

The Worcestershire County Council (WCC) in England warns that a “gross miscalculation” has been made over the time it would take to get final approval from Europe to proceed with its planned superfast broadband roll-out, which is delaying the project that was supposed to proceed in June 2012.

UPD2 EU Sets Out Rules to Boost Fibre Broadband Competition Until 2020

12th July, 2012 (9 Comments)

The European Commission (EC) has today set out new rules to help boost investment, development and competition in the rollout of superfast broadband technologies and services right across Europe, which will “apply at least until 2020” and support its wider Digital Agenda targets.

Fujitsu Withdraw from Broadband Projects in Cumbria and North Yorkshire UK

11th July, 2012 (7 Comments)

Japanese technology giant Fujitsu UK, which is one of only two major telecoms operators left in the government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) project to improve the country’s national internet infrastructure (the other is BT), plans to withdraw from bidding in two further regions – Cumbria and allegedly also North Yorkshire.

North Dorset UK Could Solve Rural Broadband Woe via Old Railway Line

8th July, 2012 (17 Comments)

The Communities Partnership Executive of North Dorset (CPEND) claims to have gained a positive response from DEFRA’s Rural Communities Broadband Fund (RCBF) after it proposed to solve local rural broadband woes by laying a fibre optic cable along a former railway line (trailway) that runs from Sturminster Newton to Blandford.

European Commission Stalls UK Superfast Broadband Rollout Plans

4th July, 2012 (36 Comments)

The government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) plan to roll-out superfast broadband (24Mbps+) services to 90% of the UK by 2015, which after spending £3m on consultants has left itself with a choice of just two firms (BT or Fujitsu), appears to have stalled after the European Commission (EC) expressed concern over the allocation of state aid.

CLA Expects UK Government to Miss its 2015 Superfast Broadband Target

3rd July, 2012 (13 Comments)

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA), a land owners lobby group for England and Wales, has warned that the UK governments plan to help roll-out superfast broadband (24-30Mbps+) services to 90% of the country by 2015 (the last 10% will get at least 2Mbps) could be missed because of a “slow funding process” and “reliance on fibre optic networks“.

BT Preps New UK Superfast Broadband Cabinets for Exchange Only Lines

29th June, 2012 (18 Comments)

BTOpenreach has informed UK ISPs of a small, but potentially quite important, development that will allow it to deploy superfast broadband (FTTC) services on Exchange Only (EO) lines. This is where the phone line for a home is connected directly to a telephone exchange and does not go through a street cabinet.

Government Approves Two More UK Superfast Broadband Rollout Plans

27th June, 2012 (15 Comments)

The UK governments Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt MP, appears to have confirmed to this week’s annual reception of the All-Party Parliamentary Media Group (APPMG) that he has now approved a further 2 local authorities that failed to get their Local Broadband Plans (LBP) done before the original deadline in April.

Scotland Allocates GBP120m for BT Highlands Superfast Broadband

25th June, 2012 (2 Comments)

The Scottish Government has today allocated £120 million to help the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) roll-out superfast broadband (40-80Mbps) services to 85-90% of homes and businesses by 2015, with an aim of reaching 100% with “world-class digital connectivity” in 2020.

Government Accounting Officer Explains UK Rural Broadband Funding

21st June, 2012 (9 Comments)

The Accounting Officer for the UK governments Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has released a new statement that explains how the funding allocations for each local broadband project are managed and threatens to reclaim grant funding that has been “materially mismanaged” by local authorities.

Suffolk UK Expect Superfast Broadband to Boost Local Economy by GBP5bn

19th June, 2012 (9 Comments)

The Suffolk County Council (SCC) has optimistically predicted that its local plan, which aims to make superfast broadband ISP speeds of 100Mbps available to everyone in the region by 2020 (shared EU target), could result in a £5bn boost to the local economy.