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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

Positive Feedback for Broadband Delivery UK’s Market Test Pilots

24th September, 2015 (26 Comments)

Recently the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK office gave an update on the progress of their 7 Market Test Pilots, which are testing alternative solutions (fibre optic, satellite, wireless etc.) for bringing broadband to remote rural areas. The good news is that early customers appear to be happy.

Ofcom Finalise Reduced 3G and 4G Mobile Spectrum Licence Fee Hike

24th September, 2015 (3 Comments)

The United Kingdom’s national telecoms regulator has today published its final assessment on their much delayed plans to hike the annual licence fees for the 900MHz and 1800MHz radio spectrum bands, which has seen the costs come down again.. but only a little.

Broadband in the UK to Stay Top of the 5 Major EU Countries Until 2020

22nd September, 2015 (10 Comments)

A new BT commissioned report from telecoms analyst firm Analysys Mason has perhaps unsurprisingly found that the take-up and availability of superfast broadband (30Mbps+) connectivity in the United Kingdom is ahead of Spain, Germany, Italy and France, and will remain there until at least 2020.

Progress Update – UN Falls Short on Global Universal Broadband Goals

21st September, 2015 (0 Comments)

Five years ago the United Nations (UN) set four key global digital development targets for Internet access and broadband connectivity, which were supposed to be achieved by 2015. But the latest report from the UN’s Broadband Commission reveals that they’ve still got a lot of work to do.

UK Enterprise Bill 2015 Includes Brief Mention of Broadband

19th September, 2015 (0 Comments)

The Government’s Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) has published its new Enterprise Bill, which among a mass of other changes also includes a brief mention of some tweaks that will “support the roll-out of telecommunications and broadband across” the United Kingdom.

Government to Start Rural Pilot of Free Broadband Satellite Subsidy

16th September, 2015 (30 Comments)

As expected the Government has announced that they’re launching a pilot of their proposed subsidy (voucher) scheme to support the installation of “superfast” (24Mbps+) capable Satellite broadband services in remote rural areas, which will begin this month in Suffolk and West Yorkshire (England).

BT Says Cheltenham School Must Raise GBP21K for Better Broadband

14th September, 2015 (26 Comments)

The Dunalley Primary School, which alongside some other 35-40 homes in Pittville suffers from only having access to old style ADSL2+ connectivity, has been told by BT that it would need to have a “whip-round” in order to raise the £21,000 needed for an upgrade because it was not “commercially viable“.

Ovum Says UK Consumers Need 10Mbps Minimum Broadband Speed

14th September, 2015 (12 Comments)

London-based analyst firm Ovum has published a new report (Global Broadband Experience Scorecard 2015), which among other things concludes that for typical usage broadband ISPs must be able to deliver a minimum of 10Mbps (Megabits per second); rising to 50Mbps for users of Ultra HD (4K) video.

Suffolk’s Wilford Wireless Broadband Pilot Set for Network Expansion

11th September, 2015 (1 Comment)

The Suffolk Coastal District Council in England has said that a successful pilot of a rural fixed wireless broadband network, which covers a number of areas (Shingle Street, Aldeburgh etc.) and was first launched in 2012 (here), could soon be expanded to cover more locations.

UK Small Businesses Repeat Demand for 10Mbps Broadband USO

10th September, 2015 (41 Comments)

The Federation of Small Businesses has today published a new telecoms focused report that once again calls upon the Government to introduce a plan for “ultrafast broadband” and a new Universal Service Obligation (USO) that would deliver a minimum Internet speed of 10Mbps to all.

Academic Study Reveals Urban and Rural Broadband Speed Gaps

7th September, 2015 (8 Comments)

The Oxford Internet Institute and RCUK Digital Economy Research Hub have conducted an academic study into Internet access and the gap between urban and rural broadband speeds, which they suggest “risks damaging business, adds to farming costs and could be driving young people away“.

UK Labour Party Joins Calls for Ofcom to Split BT from Openreach

24th August, 2015 (1 Comment)

The Labour Party’s Shadow Culture Secretary, Chris Bryant MP, has joined the debate over Ofcom’s strategic review of the United Kingdom’s digital communications market and come down on the side of those who want to see the regulator split BT from their network access division, Openreach.

INCA Demands Share of GBP129m Clawback for Alternative Broadband ISPs

20th August, 2015 (7 Comments)

The Independent Networks Co-operative Association has called on the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK programme to ensure that up to around £129m of reinvestment funding from clawback (gain share) be put to competitive tender rather than hand it back to BT to further enhance their “fibre broadband” coverage.

UK Begins Review of Voluntary ISP Code to Protect Open Internet

20th August, 2015 (0 Comments)

The Broadband Stakeholders Group, a think-tank for government policy, has announced that its Voluntary Code of Practice for protecting the Open Internet (Net Neutrality) is to be reviewed as part of Europe’s wider efforts to protect consumers from unnecessary ISP blocking of Internet content and or traffic.

Government to Build More Rural Homes, But What of Broadband?

20th August, 2015 (25 Comments)

The Chancellor, George Osborne, has set out a new 10-point plan for boosting productivity in England’s rural areas by, among other things, amending the planning rules to allow new homes on Rural Exception Sites. But what about the need for faster broadband and mobile? We hope you like Satellite.

Virgin Media Business Given Preferred Supplier Status by UK Government

18th August, 2015 (3 Comments)

Cable operator Virgin Media Business has been awarded preferred supplier status in all ten categories of the Government’s new Network Service Framework (NSF), which is expected to attract a big dollop public sector ICT spend by the end of this year.

Worcestershire Broadband Rollout Criticised Again for Wasting Money

17th August, 2015 (27 Comments)

The Superfast Worcestershire (England) project, which is rolling out “high-speed fibre broadband” (FTTC/P) to 95% of the county by summer 2018 (94% will get “superfast” 24Mbps+ speeds), has been criticised again for low-uptake and giving up to £8.5m of public funding to prop up BT’s commercial business.