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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

Colchester Secure £3.45m for Ultrafast Full Fibre Broadband Network

7th February, 2019 (0 Comments)

The Colchester Borough Council in Essex has today announced that they’ve secured a public investment boost of £3.45m from the UK Government’s Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) fund, which will enable the market town to expand their existing “ultrafast broadband” network.

Leeds City Council Set to Consider Plan for New Full Fibre Network

7th February, 2019 (3 Comments)

Next week’s meeting of the Executive Board for Leeds City Council in Yorkshire looks set to approve a procurement process for finding a partner to build and deliver a new “full fibre” network, which will aim to deliver Gigabit broadband speeds to public sector sites across the district. Homes and businesses may also benefit.

CBI Warn Brexit Sucking the Life Out of UK Broadband and Mobile

7th February, 2019 (30 Comments)

The Confederation of British Industry has warned that Brexit is “sucking the oxygen out of priorities” like deploying “full fibre” (FTTP) broadband and 5G. Instead the business group wants the Government to “take practical steps this year” in order to close the Digital Divide between London and the rest of the UK.

MLL Telecom and Cityfibre Unveil Gigabit Fibre Network for Suffolk UK

6th February, 2019 (0 Comments)

Fibre optic network builder Cityfibre has today officially unveiled their plan to build, operate and own a 114km Dark Fibre spine network across 10 towns in Suffolk, which is being supported by UK business ISP partner MLL Telecom and an award of £5.9m from the Gov’s Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) project.

Hint of Progress as Devon and Somerset Try to Fix Broadband Contract

6th February, 2019 (12 Comments)

After four months of waiting there are now signs that the Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) dispute over UK ISP Gigaclear’s stalled, and significantly delayed, roll-out of “full fibre” (FTTP) broadband in the region might finally be reaching a resolution.

Report Claims BT Generates £1 in Every £75 Produced in the UK

5th February, 2019 (24 Comments)

A new report from Hatch Regeneris, which was commissioned by the BT Group, has estimated that the telecoms and broadband ISP giant generated a £22.8 billion contribution to the UK economy (expressed as GVA – Gross Value Added) during the 2017/18 financial year (down from £23.1bn in 2016).

Breakdown of the Phase 2 Wales Superfast Broadband Coverage Plan

5th February, 2019 (23 Comments)

The Welsh Government has quietly released some additional coverage data on the scale of their Phase 2 broadband roll-out contract with BT (Openreach), which is expected to provide 26,000 premises with access to “fast reliable broadband” (mostly ultrafast FTTP) by March 2021 at a cost of nearly £22.5m.

B4RN Win Support from MP Tim Farron Over Loss of EIS Tax Relief

31st January, 2019 (5 Comments)

The Liberal Democrat MP for South Lakes, Tim Farron, has given his support to rural ISP B4RN over the recent loss of their tax relief following changes to the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), which he warned could “undermine the good work of broadband pioneers” in such remote UK communities.

Government Scraps 5G Mobile Trial on Trans Pennine Rail Route

31st January, 2019 (0 Comments)

The UK Government has abandoned part of their £35m trial of 5G based mobile broadband and fibre optic technology on the Trans Pennine rail (train) route between Manchester and York, which is a joint effort between Network Rail, the Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) and 5G Testbeds & Trials (5GTT) projects.

No More Gov EIS Tax Relief for Community Benefit Broadband ISPs UPDATE

26th January, 2019 (45 Comments)

A new ruling by HMRC, which appears to say that UK broadband ISPs acting as a Community Benefit Societies (CBS) to build their own local networks can no longer make use of tax breaks under the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), could have serious repercussions for “full fibre” projects in rural areas.

Openreach Offers 25 Year Full Fibre Term to Belfast City Project

24th January, 2019 (2 Comments)

Last March the Belfast City Council (BCC) secured a public investment of £11.5m to support their plans for deploying a 1Gbps+ capable “full fibre” network, which would connect public sites across the city. Since then we’ve been waiting for news on the contract and Openreach (BT) may have just given a clue.

Assembly Warn Wales Risks Falling Behind in Race to Rollout 5G Mobile

24th January, 2019 (2 Comments)

The Welsh Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee has warned that Mobile coverage in Wales “consistently lags behind the rest of the UK,” which could hamper the roll-out of future Gigabit capable 5G services unless changes are made (e.g. allowing 30m tall masts, stricter coverage requirements and more engagement).

The Top 391 Fastest and Slowest UK Local Areas by Broadband Speed

22nd January, 2019 (13 Comments)

Consumer magazine Which? has used data from its broadband ISP speedtest to both identify some of the UK’s fastest local authority areas for average download speed (Broxbourne on 32.5Mbps) and some of its slowest “black spots” (Orkney islands on 3Mbps) for 2019. But network availability may tell a different story.

BT Win £9.25m Wales LOT 2 Full Fibre Broadband Rollout Deal UPDATE2

17th January, 2019 (13 Comments)

The Welsh Government has quietly chosen BT (Openreach) to supply the final LOT 2 of their Phase 2 “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) roll-out contract, which uses £9.256m of public money and aims to bring FTTP “full fibre” coverage to around 10,000 more premises across East Wales (rural areas).

List of Approved UK ISPs for the Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme

17th January, 2019 (4 Comments)

At the end of last year the Government confirmed that they would extend their Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme for one more year, albeit with some changes (here). The scheme offers grants worth up to £350 to help rural premises get a better connection, if they are unable to receive at least a 2Mbps speed today.

Farmers Bemoan Poor UK Rural Mobile and Broadband Connectivity

16th January, 2019 (26 Comments)

The National Farmers Union has published the results from its latest online and telephone based survey of 812 members, which found that just 16% of farmers had access to “superfast broadband” (24Mbps+) speeds (up from 4% in 2015) and only 17% have a “reliable” outdoor mobile signal. But the situation has improved.

CEO of Virgin Media UK Calls for Vital Clarity on Brexit to Avoid No Deal

14th January, 2019 (23 Comments)

The CEO of UK cable broadband ISP and TV operator Virgin Media, Tom Mockridge, has called on the country’s political parties to put their differences aside and deliver clarity when the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal with the EU is voted on tomorrow. “Clarity is vital … for the sake of stability and greater certainty,” said Tom.