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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

Connect Fibre Engineers Next to Fibre Drum

Connect Fibre expands NE Staffordshire Project Gigabit UK broadband build

10th October, 2026 (0 Comments)

The Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) unit has agreed a contract modification for alternative network ISP Connect Fibre’s (Fibre Assets) Project Gigabit broadband roll-out contract for North East Staffordshire (Lot 19.01) in England, which means it will now reach an additional 739 premises in hard-to-reach rural areas (total of 6,702).

mobile wireless signal disconnected uk by 123rf

North Norfolk MP calls on locals to expose mobile notspots and broadband failures

9th October, 2026 (4 Comments)

The North Norfolk MP, Steff Aquarone, has this week called on local residents and businesses to report problems with their mobile reception and broadband, as he prepares to take the constituency’s “connectivity crisis” directly to the UK Government next week. But anecdotal consumer surveys may not be the most effective way of identifying such problems.

Virgin Media O2 CEO vents anger at UK Govt over BT’s TalkTalk broadband deal

7th October, 2026 (41 Comments)

The CEO of broadband and mobile giant Virgin Media (O2) has today published an Open Letter that it just sent to Lisa Nandy MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which makes their objections to the acquisition of TalkTalk and PlatformX Communications (PXC) by BT Group quite clear – despite the fact they didn’t bid themselves.

Cross party MPs tell UK Gov to consider Household Levy to replace BBC TV Licence

2nd October, 2026 (67 Comments)

A new report from the cross-party Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has warned that the “current TV licence fee is outdated and no longer fit for purpose” and that “all” of the alternatives have drawbacks. The report instead proposes a Household Levy that would no longer be linked to a TV set, could be cheaper than the current licence and would cover other services (broadband?).

Govt publish evaluation of pre-2021 UK gigabit broadband voucher schemes

1st October, 2026 (0 Comments)

The Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) directorate has today published a final evaluation of their publicly funded pre-2021 broadband voucher schemes, including the earlier incarnation of their Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) and the Rural Gigabit Connectivity (RGC) scheme. Overall both were found to have produced various positive impacts.

Report calls for immediate Gov review of UK broadband USO to tackle digital divide

30th September, 2026 (4 Comments)

A new report from Consumer Scotland, which is the statutory and independent voice for consumers in Scotland, has called for a series of improvements to address the ongoing “digital divide” that results in rural areas experiencing “poorer access to the latest broadband and mobile technology“. The report recommends an urgent review of 10Mbps USO, as well as other measures.

Govt boosts Openreach’s UK Project Gigabit broadband framework to £2.346bn

28th September, 2026 (8 Comments)

The UK Government are proposing to significantly increase the value of the Single Supplier Framework agreement that they awarded to Openreach (BT) in 2024 under their £5bn Project Gigabit broadband roll-out scheme. The deal was originally valued at “up to” £800m, before later rising to £1.2bn and it may now jump by “up to £1.146bn” to total £2.346bn.

Project-Gigabit-UK-Gov-Investment-Scheme-2025

Project Gigabit broadband rollout created 3,080 jobs and apprenticeships in England

25th September, 2026 (1 Comment)

The government has today revealed that their £5bn Project Gigabit programme, which aims to help extend gigabit broadband (1000Mbps+) ISP networks to “nationwide” coverage (c.99% of UK premises) by 2032, has created “more than 3,000 jobs and apprenticeships” in England (e.g. engineers, support staff etc.).

Project Gigabit BDUK Funded Digital UK Broadband Map

Sept 2026 Contract Progress of UK’s Project Gigabit Broadband Rollout

24th September, 2026 (5 Comments)

The Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) office has today published the September 2026 update on the delivery progress of contracts awarded under their £5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme. The update reveals that some 318,000 contracted premises (up from 296,770 in Aug 2026) have so far been covered out of a planned total of 846,770 (38% complete).

Tax on uk broadband and IT by 123rf ID39017489

Government considers £11 monthly UK broadband fee to fund BBC TV UPDATE

23rd September, 2026 (113 Comments)

The Government is reportedly considering the introduction of an £11 (monthly) “Home Internet Levy” on existing consumer broadband bills to replace the existing BBC TV licence fee. The idea is understood to have been proposed to the Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, by the cross-party Social Market Foundation (SMF) think-tank.

NUAR-Output-on-Smartphone-from-Nov-2023-Gov-UK-update

Over 400 asset owners join NUAR’s UK map of underground cables and pipes

20th September, 2026 (1 Comment)

A year has passed since Ordnance Survey (OS) took responsibility for the Government-backed National Underground Asset Register (NUAR), which is a “secure” digital map of underground UK pipes and cables (broadband, water etc.) that is partly designed to help reduce accidental damage. Some 400 asset owners (e.g. Openreach and others) have now added added data to show their infrastructure, but that’s not all.

GoFibre’s Sept 2026 update on North East Scotland gigabit broadband build

17th September, 2026 (2 Comments)

Edinburgh-based UK alternative network operator GoFibre, which is deploying full fibre (FTTP) broadband across rural parts of Scotland and Northern England, has provided an update on their rollout in the North East of Scotland under the publicly subsidised Project Gigabit contract. Work is now underway in St Fergus, Inchmarlo, Kincardine O’Neil, Collieston and Newburgh, as well as Kingswells.

Government publish Q2 2026 UK gigabit broadband rollout progress report

17th September, 2026 (1 Comment)

The Government’s Building Digital UK agency has published their calendar Q2 2026 progress report on their publicly subsidised gigabit broadband rollout schemes. The data reveals that some 1,462,910 premises have received coverage under BDUK’s gigabit programmes since their inception (up from 1.42m in March 2026), including 46,300 premises over the past quarter.

Vodafone UK warn London planning rules forcing 100 mobile sites offline in 2026

16th September, 2026 (3 Comments)

A new report from mobile operator VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK) claims that London could be losing around £2.7bn a year in economic output because of bad “planning measures“, such as those that force them to take 4G and 5G network sites offline (masts and other cell sites) without first ensuring an appropriate replacement location.

Freshwave indoor mobile productivity uk map

Freshwave claims UK missing out on £103bn boost from better indoor Mobile signals

15th September, 2026 (3 Comments)

Wireless infrastructure provider Freshwave, which naturally has its own vested interests, have today published their 2026 Mobile Connectivity ROI Index that claims poor indoor mobile network (4G, 5G etc.) connectivity could be damaging the UK economy to the tune of £103bn a year.

Ofcom launch Consumer Hub with money saving tips for UK broadband, mobile and TV users

12th September, 2026 (10 Comments)

The UK telecoms, media and internet content regulator, Ofcom, has today launched a new Consumer Hub that is said to feature “practical money-saving tips and tools” for every mobile, fixed broadband and pay-TV customer. The launch comes as new research claims that many out-of-contract customers who bundle services from the same provider could save over £100 a year by switching.

Houses of Parliament in London by Mark Jackson of ISPreview 100926

Public Accounts Committee call for stronger regulation of UK broadband

11th September, 2026 (4 Comments)

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is responsible for examining the value for money of UK Government projects, is this morning expected to find that water, energy and broadband regulators (e.g. Ofcom) are not doing enough to support vulnerable customers, and will call on them to act more urgently to ensure people get the standard of service they deserve.