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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

Government Sets Tough Age Verification Rules for Internet Porn Ban

17th April, 2019 (49 Comments)

The UK Government has sent final terms to Age Verification Providers for the related BBFC certification scheme, which sets strict rules for how such providers must verify a user’s age before allowing them to access a porn site. As before, broadband ISPs must block websites that fail to comply. The system will begin in July 2019.

Excessive UK ISP Internet Filters Block Access to Vital Support Sites

16th April, 2019 (6 Comments)

A new study has examined the impact of network-level filtering (Parental Controls) from the largest UK broadband ISPs, which are enabled-by-default and help to protect children from seeing “adult” content. Unfortunately they’ve also blocked access to many safe sites too, including charities, school and social support services.

Government Propose to Setup UK Regulator for Internet Censorship

8th April, 2019 (16 Comments)

The UK Government is to publish a new ‘Online Harms White Paper‘ that proposes to establish a regulator for internet content, which among other things would be tasked with forcing websites to remove bad content (e.g. hate speech, fake news) and even blocking or imposing fines upon those that fail to comply.

Lords Call for Ultrafast Broadband to Boost UK Seaside Towns

4th April, 2019 (13 Comments)

A new report from the House of Lords has claimed that digital connectivity in coastal areas is “largely insufficient,” while investment in mobile and broadband ISP infrastructure “lagged considerably behind” urban areas. As a result they want support for “ultra-fast broadband” to be the Government’s “highest priority.”

New 1Gbps FTTP Network for Plymouth, South Hams and West Devon

2nd April, 2019 (1 Comment)

The Plymouth City Council (PCC) has become the latest local authority to secure £3m of funding from the UK Government’s Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) project, which will result in a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) style ultrafast broadband network being deployed to connect 227 public sector sites (schools, council etc.).

Mast Sharing or Rural Roaming – Solving UK Rural 4G Mobile Coverage

1st April, 2019 (16 Comments)

The Country Land and Business Association, which represents 30,000+ landowners (farmers and businesses) across England and Wales, has said that “forcing mobile operators to adopt rural roaming” may be the only way to deliver significantly better 4G coverage in rural areas. But operators now favour a barter system of mast sharing.

Inverness, Fort William, Thurso and Wick to Get Full Fibre Network

29th March, 2019 (15 Comments)

A new project, which is to be assisted by Cityfibre, Capita and £9.5m from the UK Government’s Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) programme, will result in a Gigabit speed fibre optic broadband network being built to connect 152 public sector sites (schools, council etc.) in the challenging highlands of Scotland.

New Gov Report Finds Rising UK Telecoms Security Risk from Huawei

28th March, 2019 (16 Comments)

Chinese-based IT company Huawei, which supplies a good chunk of the broadband ISP and mobile network kit being used by UK providers (routers, cabinets etc.), is under increased pressure after the fifth annual report from the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC) oversight board found “new risks” and limited progress.

UK ISP Internet Porn Ban Potentially Delayed Until Late 2019

27th March, 2019 (15 Comments)

The Government has reportedly said that its controversial new internet age verification system – targeted at commercial websites and “apps” that contain pornographic content – might not be enforced on 1st April as predicted last year and may not now be ready until later this year.

EU Sets Tougher Security Standards for Future 5G Mobile Networks

26th March, 2019 (0 Comments)

The seemingly endless debate over the use of Huawei’s kit in mobile networks has today resulted in the European Commission (EC) recommending a set of new “operational steps and measures,” which have been designed to help mobile operators to ensure a “high level of cybersecurity of 5G networks across the EU.”

Virgin Media UK Joins Tameside Digital Infrastructure Cooperative

26th March, 2019 (3 Comments)

Cable ISP Virgin Media has today announced that they’ve joined the Tameside’s Digital Infrastructure Cooperative (TDIC), which should enable them to further extend their broadband network via commercial re-use of around 50km of existing local authority owned cable ducts and fibre optic cable.

Final Ofcom Plan for 2019-20 Confirms Mobile and Broadband Changes

25th March, 2019 (7 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today published their final annual plan for 2019/20, which summarises all of the major work they intend to do this year (e.g. boosting mobile coverage, new consumer protections, implementing the 10Mbps USO for broadband and promoting investment in “fibre” networks etc.).

City Leaders Warn UK Full Fibre Rollout is Uncoordinated and Inefficient

25th March, 2019 (20 Comments)

Political leaders from 20 cities and towns across the North of England have written an Open Letter to Ofcom that calls for a more coordinated way of deploying new Gigabit capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband ISP networks, which could speed-up the effort by avoiding the need to dig up streets several times over.

Government Boosts Gigabit Broadband Vouchers to £5500 in Wales UPDATE

22nd March, 2019 (0 Comments)

The UK and Welsh Governments have today jointly announced that the £67m Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS), which normally offers up to £2,500 to help businesses and surrounding homes gain access to a 1Gbps capable broadband ISP connection (ideally “full fibre” FTTP), is to be boosted up to £5,500 in Wales.

Concerns Over Delay to Award of Scotland’s R100 Broadband Contract UPDATE

21st March, 2019 (7 Comments)

The Scottish Government (SG) has been heavily criticised by an opposition Conservative MP, John Lamont, after it confirmed that the bidding process for their £600m R100 (Reaching 100%) programme was still ongoing and that contracts would now be vaguely awarded some time “during 2019.”

Stoke-on-Trent Unveils £9.2m Citywide FTTP Ultrafast Broadband Plan

20th March, 2019 (6 Comments)

The City of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire UK has announced that the £9.2m of public funding secured from the Government’s Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) programme will be used to “install ultrafast broadband across city” via a new 96km long “full fibre” (FTTP) network from Swedish operator VXFIBER.

BT Shun Rural Mobile Roaming Plan from Three UK, O2 and Vodafone

18th March, 2019 (32 Comments)

Telecoms giant BT (EE) has rejected an industry proposal from rival operators Three UK, Vodafone and O2 that would have aimed to improve national 4G network coverage via “rural roaming,” where signals in remote areas could roam onto whatever alternative network was available (like EU roaming).