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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

Government’s Ineffective UK ISP Internet Porn Ban Coming April 2019

13th January, 2019 (43 Comments)

No, it’s not an early April Fools. Instead April is officially the month when the government’s new age verification system – targeted at commercial websites and “apps” that contain pornographic content – comes into force. Broadband ISPs will also be required to block sites that fail to comply with the new rules.

Business Rates Deal Means Cash for West Sussex Gigabit Broadband UPDATE

9th January, 2019 (4 Comments)

The Crawley Borough Council have announced that West Sussex (England) has been successful in its bid to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), which means that 75% of business rates collected can now be kept locally. Most of the extra money will go toward Gigabit broadband upgrades.

Party of Wales Criticises Welsh Government for 2 Year Broadband Delay

5th January, 2019 (9 Comments)

The Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) has criticised the Welsh Government (WG) over delays to their “fast broadband” roll-out project (Superfast Cymru), which they claim means that some parts of the country “will not see any work done to install broadband connections for almost two years.”

Watered Down £150m N.Ireland Broadband Project Faces Uncertainty

4th January, 2019 (12 Comments)

Back in 2017 the Conservative UK government committed £150m to “help provide ultra-fast broadband” (100Mbps+) across Northern Ireland, which formed part of a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to secure the support of their MPs. But the plan now focuses upon 30Mbps+ speeds and is stuck in limbo.

Havering in London UK Secures £800k to Build Fibre Optic Broadband

4th January, 2019 (0 Comments)

The Greater London Authority’s Strategic Investment Pot has awarded £800,000 to the Borough of Havering, which will be used to deploy a new ultrafast fibre optic network into the Rainham area. This could be used for improving connectivity to both public sector sites and businesses.

Real Estate Firm Tells UK Farmers to Build their own Broadband

3rd January, 2019 (21 Comments)

Real estate company Strutt & Parker has suggested that UK farmers, many of which aren’t exactly swimming in lots of spare cash, should consider investing to build their own “private” broadband networks instead of waiting for whatever the Government’s 10Mbps+ Universal Service Obligation (USO) will deliver.

Rival UK ISPs Raise Alarm Over Full Fibre Competition and Openreach

30th December, 2018 (194 Comments)

A number of broadband ISPs including TalkTalk, Hyperoptic, Cityfibre and Gigaclear, as well as the Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA), have written to the UK Government and Ofcom in the hope of encouraging tougher measures to prevent Openreach (BT) from hampering “full fibre” (FTTP) competition.

CMA Seek Urgent Action to Tackle Mobile and Broadband Loyalty Penalties

19th December, 2018 (2 Comments)

The Competition and Markets Authority has concluded its “super-complaint” probe into how UK consumers who remain loyal to a broadband ISP or mobile operator often end up paying “significantly more” than new customers. In response they’ve called for “urgent action” to tackle related issues and protect vulnerable users.

2018 ICMR Compares UK Broadband and Mobile to 17 Countries

18th December, 2018 (0 Comments)

Ofcom has today published their International Communications Market Report 2018 (ICMR), which broadly compares broadband and mobile networks in the United Kingdom with 17 other countries and the EU. Overall the UK does well for fixed line superfast broadband and 4G mobile, but we’re weak on “full fibre” (FTTP).

Cityfibre Hail Largest £1.12bn Debt Financing for UK Full Fibre Rollout

18th December, 2018 (18 Comments)

Cityfibre has today confirmed that they’ve put in place a new debt financing package worth £1.12bn, which will support their wider £2.5bn roll-out (details) of a new 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network to cover 5 million premises across 37 UK cities and towns by the end of 2024.

Telecoms Disputes Over Wayleaves, Rents Threaten to Become Toxic

17th December, 2018 (4 Comments)

A few months ago the Government’s Digital Minister, Margot James MP, warned that some UK telecoms (mobile and broadband) operators were pushing land / building owners into accepting “derisory payments” for access to install their infrastructure (wayleave agreements). Today the situation is still far from resolved.

One Year Extension for UK Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme UPDATE2

14th December, 2018 (13 Comments)

The UK Government’s Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme, which offers grants worth up to £350 for rural homes and businesses that are unable to get at least a 2Mbps download speed (i.e. helps them to get a faster ISP connection installed), appears to have been extended again until the end of 2019.

Ofcom Probes UK Broadband ISP Prices and Tries to Boost Take-up UPDATE

14th December, 2018 (33 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator has today launched a new review of broadband pricing to examine whether loyal (existing) and vulnerable ISP customers are being ripped-off. On top of that they’ve also set out their final proposals for end-of-contract notification letters, which will soon also tell you about the best deals.

CBI Demands Urgent Action to Fast Track UK Gigabit Broadband

12th December, 2018 (10 Comments)

A new report from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has warned that the UK Government must take “urgent action” and “fast track [new] laws” in order to ensure the delivery of its aspiration to achieve nationwide coverage of future 5G mobile by 2027 and “full fibre” (FTTP) Gigabit broadband ISP networks by 2033.

Ofcom Move to Redefine UK Geographic Fibre Markets from 2021

11th December, 2018 (4 Comments)

Over the next few years the UK will witness a surge in alternative fibre optic (FTTP) broadband ISP networks, which means that investment and competition will vary a lot by geography. In response Ofcom has today begun consulting upon a new approach to how they set regulation and define such markets from 2021.

Welsh Government Issue Statement on Broadband Roll-out Progress

10th December, 2018 (0 Comments)

The Leader of the House and Chief Whip of the Welsh Government, Julie James AM, has this afternoon issued a statement on the progress of their state aid supported Superfast Cymru project with Openreach (BT). Sadly there’s still no word on when the contract for LOT 2 of their Phase 2 roll-out will be awarded.

O2 UK Outage Triggers Mobile Roaming and Compensation Debate

10th December, 2018 (11 Comments)

One positive outcome of last week’s O2 network outage (here) is that it has triggered a debate about whether mobile operators should introduce Automatic Compensation, like broadband ISPs will soon receive. On top of that others have called for more roaming flexibility, so users can use rival networks during downtime.