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Articles for Category Tag - Digital Agenda

UK Falls One Place in 2015 EU Digital Agenda Broadband Progress Report

18th June, 2015 (23 Comments)

The European Commission has updated their EU Broadband Scorecard, which uses data from Dec 2014 and Jan 2015 to reveal the United Kingdom’s progress toward Europe’s overall Digital Agenda goals (e.g. ensuring 100% coverage of 30Mbps+ Internet speeds, with 50% take-up of 100Mbps+). But we’re now ranked 5th for connectivity, down one place from 4th last year.

EU Regulators Find Internet Restrictions Cause Consumers to Switch ISP

10th June, 2015 (1 Comment)

The Body of European Regulators of Electronic Communications, which represents telecoms regulators from across the EU (e.g. Ofcom in the UK), has conducted a new survey to uncover consumer attitudes towards Net Neutrality. The study unsurprisingly reveals that consumers would switch ISP if a provider imposed certain limits on their access.

Satellite Might Not be the Best Fix for UK and EU Superfast Broadband

29th May, 2015 (23 Comments)

As Europe’s 2020 Digital Agenda deadline looms, when every home across the EU is supposed to be put within reach of a 30Mbps+ capable “superfast” broadband connection (plus 50% subscribed to a 100Mbps+ service), there’s a growing recognition that the target will not be met. Some hope that Satellite might be the solution, but it’s not so simple.

Independent Test of UK Fibre Broadband Rollout Rules BDUK is “Effective”

20th May, 2015 (9 Comments)

The Government’s £1.7bn state aid supported Broadband Delivery UK project, which aims to make superfast broadband (24Mbps+) speeds available to 95% of the country by 2017/18 and is largely dominated by BT, has been deemed “effective” by a new independent evaluation. But the report also raises a few concerns.

EU Sets Out New Rules to Boost Mobile, Broadband and Internet Services

6th May, 2015 (2 Comments)

After somewhat of a change in management the European Commission has today moved to adopt the final design for a Digital Single Market strategy across the EU, which among other things aims to foster online trade, harmonise radio spectrum for mobile services and create better incentives for investment in high-speed broadband.

Europe Moots Future Ultrafast Broadband Speed Targets for Post 2020

18th April, 2015 (17 Comments)

The European Commission’s new Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Günther Oettinger, has for the first time started to discuss what targets we should aim for after the current Digital Agenda programme completes and hopefully delivers “superfast” broadband speeds of 30Mbps+ to all by 2020; with 50% also subscribed to a 100Mbps+ service.

EU Council Moves to Weaken Net Neutrality and Scrap Free Mobile Roaming

5th March, 2015 (1 Comment)

The Council of the EU, which represents the governments of Europe’s member states (e.g. UK, France, Italy etc.), has put a spanner in the works of long held plans to end mobile roaming charges and safeguard open Internet access (Net Neutrality) by attempting to water down the proposed rules for a new Single Telecoms Market.

UK Lords Report Demands Universal Internet Access as a Utility Service

17th February, 2015 (7 Comments)

The House of Lords, specifically their Digital Skills Committee, has today published a new report and warned that the United Kingdom is at a “tipping point” because it hasn’t fully addressed the “significant digital skills shortage“. One of the proposed remedies for this is to define the Internet as a utility service, “available for all to access and use“.

Broadband to Benefit as EU Approve GBP3bn UK Rural Development Boost

13th February, 2015 (27 Comments)

The European Commission has approved a further 18 Rural Development Programmes (worth around £10.6bn between now and 2020), which among other things will be used to improve the competitiveness of the EU’s farming sector and upgrade broadband connectivity for rural areas. Some £2,568m of the total (3.56%) will be allocated by the EU to projects in England.

UK Hopes for Relaxed EU State Aid Rules to Help Upgrade City Broadband

11th February, 2015 (0 Comments)

The Government’s Communications Minister, Ed Vaizey MP, has hinted of his tentative expectation that the European Commission might soon relax their rules governing the use of state aid in cities. Such a move would make it easier to upgrade urban broadband Internet infrastructure and there are signs that the EC might indeed be planning just such a U-turn.

Ofcom Publishes Final UK vs EU Broadband Scorecard Results for 2014

5th February, 2015 (11 Comments)

The national telecoms regulator has today published the final version of their latest European Broadband Scorecard, which is designed to show how the United Kingdom compares with Europe’s other countries in terms of our progress towards the Government’s ambition that we should have the “fastest broadband of any major European country by 2015“.

Cornwall UK to Approve 99 Percent Superfast Broadband Coverage Goal

7th January, 2015 (7 Comments)

The Cornwall County Council (CCC) in south west England looks set to approve a new Superfast Extension Programme (SEP) next week, which will aim to expand the coverage of “fibre broadband” (FTTC/P) connectivity from the currently level of around 95% and make “superfast” (30Mbps+) services available to 99% by March 2019.

Home Builders Worried by High-Speed Ready Broadband Requirement

23rd December, 2014 (17 Comments)

A senior member of the Home Builders Federation (HBF), whose members in England and Wales deliver around 80% of the new homes built each year, has warned that a new requirement for all new buildings to be “high-speed broadband ready” from 2017 onwards could “seriously damage” future construction.

Digital Agenda Publishes 2014 Study on Broadband Coverage in Europe

16th December, 2014 (4 Comments)

The European Commission has published its annual report into the coverage of superfast broadband (Next Generation Access) services around the EU, which again shows that the United Kingdom is making good progress on 30Mbps+ capable Next Gen (NGA) service delivery but still lags miles behind most other EU28 countries in terms of pure fibre optic connectivity (FTTH/P/B).

Ofcom Scorecard Highlights UK Strengths vs EU Broadband Rollout Progress

11th December, 2014 (0 Comments)

The national telecoms regulator has today published their latest EU Broadband Scorecard and 2014 International Communications Market Report (ICMR), which among other things shows how the United Kingdom compares with Europe’s other countries in terms of our progress towards the Government’s ambition that we should have the “fastest broadband of any major European country by 2015“.

EU Unveils GBP250bn Investment Plan for Infrastructure and Broadband

26th November, 2014 (3 Comments)

The European Commission has today announced a new £250 billion (€315bn) plan to improve its infrastructure, which is designed to make the continent more attractive for investment, remove regulatory bottlenecks and “get Europe growing again” by funding improvements in broadband networks, transport, education, research and innovation.

EU Leans Towards Stricter Broadband ISP Contracts and Closed Networks

17th November, 2014 (5 Comments)

The European Commission’s (EC) new Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Günther Oettinger, has hinted that he might be about to adopt a distinctly less pro-consumer position on home broadband services and open access network flexibility than the person that he is effectively replacing, Neelie Kroes.