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Articles for Category Tag - Building Digital UK

2012 Digital Agenda Scoreboard Finds UK Trails EU for Superfast Broadband

19th June, 2012 (15 Comments)

The European Commission (EC) has released its annual 2012 Digital Agenda Scoreboard, which assesses the progress towards Europe’s broadband delivery targets. It found that just 5.5% of UK lines have adopted a superfast broadband ISP service that can deliver download speeds of 30Mbps+ (EU average 8.5%).

Chi Onwurah MP Accuses EU of Bias in Favour of Ultrafast Fibre Broadband

15th June, 2012 (17 Comments)

The local MP for Newcastle Central and Labour’s shadow minister for innovation and digital infrastructure, Chi Onwurah, has criticised the European Commission (EC) for having a “bias in favour of fibre” and switching its EU state aid rules (here) to focus more on “ultra-fast” (100Mbps+) fibre optic FTTH style broadband networks.

Cumbria UK Reject Superfast Broadband Rollout Bids from BT and Fujitsu

15th June, 2012 (11 Comments)

A plan to deploy superfast broadband (24Mbps+) services to 90% of people in Cumbria (England) by 2015 (the last 10% would get speeds of at least 2Mbps), which could be worth up to £40 million, looks set to face further delays after the Cumbria County Council (CCC) rejected the only two available bids from BT and Fujitsu.

EU Approve State Aid for Ultrafast Broadband Rollout in Birmingham UK

13th June, 2012 (3 Comments)

The European Commission (EC) has given state aid approval for the UK government to release between £7m-£10m in order to rollout an “ultra-fast” fibre optic based 80-100Mbps+ (Megabits per second) capable broadband ISP network in Birmingham by 2015 and turn it into one of ten large “super-connected cities“.

Belfast Plans to Blanket City with FREE Wireless Broadband Access

11th June, 2012 (0 Comments)

The Belfast City Council (BCC) will later today announce a new plan to blanket most of Belfast city (i.e. the capital of Northern Ireland, UK) in a free wireless internet access service for use by all residents and visitors.

UK Government Boosts Scotland Broadband Funding by GBP32 Million

8th June, 2012 (0 Comments)

The UK government (Westminster) has announced that the Scottish Government will receive an additional £32m (new total £100.8m) to help it deliver superfast broadband (40-80Mbps) to 85-90% of premises by 2015 and “world-class digital access” to all of Scotland by 2020.

Europe Switches Focus from Basic to Ultrafast Broadband Funding

2nd June, 2012 (48 Comments)

The European Commission (EC) has launched a new consultation on EU state aid rules for the public funding of broadband networks, which appears to mark a shift in focus away from the “good progress” of connecting all citizens to basic broadband and more towards facilitating the roll-out of “ultra-fast” networks (100Mbps+) “under certain conditions“.

UK Consumer Panel Seeks Clear Targets to Tackle Broadband Digital Divide

31st May, 2012 (2 Comments)

The Communications Consumer Panel (CCP), an independent watchdog that claims to support consumer interests in the UK telecoms industry, has released a new report that calls for “clear targets” to help get more people online and for the government to “strike a better balance between funding for broadband infrastructure and supporting people online“.

Wales UK to Spend GBP400 Million on Superfast Broadband Deployment

29th May, 2012 (4 Comments)

The Welsh Government (WG) recently published its final Wales Infrastructure Investment Plan (WIIP), which revealed that the region intends to invest a total of up to £400 million into the roll-out of 30Mbps+ superfast broadband services to reach 100% of the country’s businesses by the middle of 2016 and homes by 2020.

Labour MP Claims UK Superfast Broadband Funds Only Help Rich Rural People

29th May, 2012 (3 Comments)

Only rich people live outside of towns and cities in the United Kingdom. At least that’s what the Labour MP for Hyndburn, Graham Jones, appears to think. Jones suggested that the government’s plan to make superfast broadband services available to 90% of the country by 2015 would only “mean faster internet shopping for millionaires; it will not generate business in rural communities.”

Scottish Government Slams Westminster over UK Small City Broadband Funds

28th May, 2012 (0 Comments)

The Scottish Government has today criticised the UK’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which is managed by the increasingly embattled Culture Secretary (Jeremy Hunt MP), for excluding the smaller cities of Inverness, Glasgow and Stirling in Scotland from their £50m second wave of Urban Broadband Funding (UBF).

Welsh ISP Exwavia Criticises Patchy UK Lobbying Effort for Better Broadband

28th May, 2012 (0 Comments)

Welshpool-based ISP Exwavia (Wales) has today criticised the largely “un-co-ordinated” effort to lobby the UK government for better national broadband infrastructure and services, which has seen a slew of strong but ultimately “patchy” campaigns launch from various groups and ultimately fail to make much headway.

Frustration as 36 out of 47 UK Local Authorities Meet BDUK Broadband Deadline

24th May, 2012 (5 Comments)

The UK governments Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt MP, has signalled his frustration after having to reveal that 11 local authorities (county councils etc.) “aren’t working hard enough or fast enough” and failed to get their Local Broadband Plans (LBP) approved before the end of the April 2012 deadline last month.

UPD Virgin Media Slams UK Government for Gifting BT a Huge Public Subsidy

22nd May, 2012 (38 Comments)

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of cable and broadband giant Virgin Media, Andrew Barron, will today tell the House of Lords Select Committee Inquiry into the UK’s national superfast broadband strategy that BT are effectively being subsidised by government policy and thus “freezing out new entrants” from the market.

Small Rural UK Businesses Seek 98% Coverage of 20Mbps Broadband by 2015

22nd May, 2012 (0 Comments)

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has published a new report (“The Missing Links”) which claims that 60% of UK businesses in rural areas (countryside) suffer from slow broadband ISP speeds. As a result the group has called on the government to raise its superfast broadband coverage target from 90% to 98% of “rural communities and businesses” by 2015.

ECTA Tells EU to Protect Small Broadband ISPs from Dominant Telco Abuse

21st May, 2012 (9 Comments)

The European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA), which represents alternative / smaller broadband ISPs, has demanded that the European Commission (EC) “take urgent action” to prevent dominant national telecoms operators (e.g. BT) from using “discriminatory conduct” against them and thus damaging their ability to compete in the new market for superfast broadband (FTTx etc.) services.

BT Promises Speeds of up to 80Mbps for 90% of Rutland UK by Q4 2013

16th May, 2012 (9 Comments)

BT has pledged to make superfast broadband (FTTC) ISP speeds of up to 80Mbps (Megabits per second) available to over 90% of Rutland’s (England, UK) 17,000 homes and businesses by the end of 2013. The plan was announced today during a contract signing event between BT and Rutland County Council (RCC), which was held at the historic Oakham Castle.