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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

UK Government to Investigate Dodgy Broadband ISP Pricing

30th November, 2015 (4 Comments)

The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) will today pledge to further improve consumer switching between providers and to investigate whether home broadband ISPs are hiding the true cost of their services, such as via confusing discounts and or line rental charges etc.

Virgin Media Complains to EU Over State Aid for BT Broadband Rollout

30th November, 2015 (15 Comments)

Cable operator Virgin Media (Liberty Global) has called on the European Commission to help stop any future allocations of state aid going towards BTOpenreach’s “fibre broadband” network expansion, which they fear would create an “unacceptable risk of overbuild of existing networks.”

UPDATE Home Office Clarifies Internet Snooping Plans to Smaller ISPs

26th November, 2015 (2 Comments)

The weight of the Government’s controversial new Internet Snooping legislation (Investigatory Powers Bill) will not fall on the shoulders of the market’s smallest broadband providers, but even if it did they wouldn’t be able to tell you about it because the biggest ISPs want them all gagged.

UK Government Propose New Broadband Investment Fund for Altnet ISPs

25th November, 2015 (19 Comments)

The Chancellor of the United Kingdom, George Osborne, has today given his Autumn Statement 2015 (Spending Review) and unfortunately there wasn’t much in terms of new support for broadband and mobile infrastructure, but we did get word of a new investment fund for alternative network ISPs.

Superfast North Yorkshire Broadband Project Boosts Economy by £220m

24th November, 2015 (6 Comments)

A new report predicts that the Superfast North Yorkshire project, which is working with BT to make FTTC/P based superfast broadband (25Mbps+) services available to around 90% of local premises by late 2016 and possibly 95% within a few years (details), could boost the local economy by £220m.

UPD2 Public Accounts Committee Seek Clarity on Welsh Broadband Plan

24th November, 2015 (4 Comments)

The National Assembly for Wales, specifically its Public Accounts Committee (PAC), has criticised the state aid fuelled Superfast Cymru project with BT for failing to provide full and clear information about the Welsh roll-out plan for “fibre broadband” (FTTC/P) services.

West Sussex to Pilot Broadband Install Grants for Local Businesses

21st November, 2015 (3 Comments)

Digitally isolated business estates or clusters in West Sussex (England) will soon have the option of applying to the new Digital Connectivity Grant Programme, which will help to cover up to 40% of the cost of getting connected to a superfast broadband service.

UK Court Defers DRIPA Internet Snooping Appeal to CJEU

20th November, 2015 (3 Comments)

The Government’s appeal to overturn an earlier ruling against their Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act (DRIP), which found the legislation to be unlawful, has today been given a boost after the decision was formally passed on to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

Small Changes as BSG Stiffens UK ISP Open Internet Code of Practice

17th November, 2015 (0 Comments)

The Broadband Stakeholders Group, a think-tank for UK government policy, has today completed a review of its Voluntary Open Internet and Traffic Management Codes of Practice for ISPs and proposed a number of changes to help keep the commitments in line with Europe’s new Net Neutrality stance.

Broadband Funding is for People who Live with “badgers and rabbits”

13th November, 2015 (18 Comments)

Politics in Worcestershire (England) can sometimes be messy, although one local councillor has now taken it to another level by saying that the use of state aid funding to improve broadband connectivity would only help people who choose to “live out in the sticks with the badgers and rabbits“.

BDUK and BT Push Superfast Broadband to 3.31 Million Extra UK Premises

12th November, 2015 (32 Comments)

The Government’s Broadband Delivery UK initiative, which is primarily working with BT to make fixed line superfast broadband (24Mbps+) services available to 95% of the United Kingdom by 2017/18, has ended Q3 2015 by confirming that 3,311,843 extra premises have now benefited from the effort.

Broadband ISPs Warn UK Internet Snooping Law to Push Up Prices

11th November, 2015 (0 Comments)

The Government has budgeted around £175 million+ over 10 years to cover the cost of storing everyone’s Internet records as part of their controversial new Investigatory Powers Bill (details), but MPs have been warned by ISPs that this might not even come close to covering the actual costs.

Apple CEO Fires Encryption Warning Shots at UK Internet Snooping Bill

10th November, 2015 (4 Comments)

The UK Government’s new Investigatory Powers Bill, which aims to expand the United Kingdom’s Internet snooping laws by forcing broadband ISPs to log a bigger slice of everybody’s online activity, has taken fire from Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, over its “very dire” move to damage encryption.

Village of Crazies Hill Grabs Home Secretary in Battle for Fast Broadband

9th November, 2015 (4 Comments)

Residents of a tiny and comically named rural village called Crazies Hill (Berkshire, England) have reeled in the Government’s Home Secretary, Theresa May MP, to help in their battle after doubts were cast over whether or not the community would get access to faster “fibre broadband” (FTTC/P) services.

UPD5 Government Unveil 10Mbps Broadband Universal Service Obligation

7th November, 2015 (121 Comments)

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, has confirmed that the Government will introduce a new Universal Service Obligation (USO) that should give everybody the legal right to request a broadband connection capable of delivering a minimum speed of 10Mbps (Megabits per second) by 2020.

North Devon Villages Petition Culture Secretary for Faster Broadband

6th November, 2015 (2 Comments)

Residents from three small rural villages in North Devon (Filleigh, East Buckland and West Buckland) have joined forces in order to hand a petition to the Government’s Culture Secretary, John Whittingdale MP, in the hopes of using it bring faster broadband services into the area.

Rory Stewart MP Questions the Higher Cost of UK Rural Broadband

6th November, 2015 (21 Comments)

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for DEFRA and Conservative MP for Penrith and The Borders (Cumbria), Rory Stewart, has spoken of his concern for the “unjust situation” where people in rural areas can be forced to pay more for a slower broadband ISP package than their urban counterparts.