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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

UPDATE MPs Prep Yet Another Rural Broadband Debate at Westminster

4th March, 2015 (29 Comments)

The Devon (Tiverton and Honiton) MP, Neil Parish, will this afternoon (2:30pm) host yet another live streamed debate at Westminster Hall on the management and delivery of faster broadband connectivity to remote rural areas. Parish will be flanked by fellow Conservative MP Richard Bacon and Liberal Democrat MP Tessa Munt.

BSG Warns Against Turning UK Home Broadband into a Utility Service

3rd March, 2015 (7 Comments)

The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG), which advises the Government on matters of fast Internet connectivity, has warned that the recent calls for broadband to be officially identified as a utility service may be misguided.

UK Consults on New Electronic Communications Code to Boost Mobile

3rd March, 2015 (3 Comments)

The Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has officially launched a public consultation on their plans to update the Electronic Communications Code (ECC) in order to make it clearer and easier for communications infrastructure developers (mobile telecoms and fixed broadband providers etc.) to build new networks, particularly on private land.

Superfast Wales Reaches Half-Way Point with “Fibre Broadband” Rollout

2nd March, 2015 (38 Comments)

The UK Government’s Digital Economy Minister, Ed Vaizey, has revealed that the Superfast Cymru project has now helped an additional 345,000 homes and businesses in Wales to receive BT’s “fibre broadband” (FTTC/P) network, which is roughly half-way to the current completion target of 690,000+ by the end of spring 2016 (96% coverage).

New “Funded by UK Government” Plaques to Appear on Broadband Cabinets

2nd March, 2015 (25 Comments)

Major national infrastructure projects, specifically those like the Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programme that are being backed by public funding from the central Government of the United Kingdom, will soon be adorned by a new “Funded by the UK Government” plague and Union Jack flag. But not everybody is happy.

UPDATE Property Developers in Cheltenham Told to Build Fast Broadband

23rd February, 2015 (8 Comments)

The Cheltenham Borough Council in Gloucestershire (England) will on Thursday consider a proactive motion that would require future planning applications for new developments to include provision for the delivery of “high-speed/super-fast broadband“, which is something that far too many new builds continue to overlook.

EU Caution Ofcom Over Regulation of BT’s FTTC “Fibre Broadband” Prices

20th February, 2015 (28 Comments)

The national UK telecoms regulator’s plan to control the margin between BT’s wholesale and retail superfast “fibre broadband” (FTTC) prices has suffered a setback, albeit a non-binding one, after the European Commission (EC) warned that the “proposed approach lacks the necessary flexibility” and could result in higher retail prices for consumers.

Big Change Unlikely as Ofcom Consult on UK Mobile Operator Licence Fee Hike

19th February, 2015 (1 Comment)

The national telecoms regulator has today carried out its promise to once again review the plans for a massive hike in annual licence fees on the 900MHz and 1800MHz radio spectrum bands, but they’ve also been quick to warn that the recent coverage agreement between mobile operators and the Government is “unlikely to have a material effect“.

UK Lords Report Demands Universal Internet Access as a Utility Service

17th February, 2015 (7 Comments)

The House of Lords, specifically their Digital Skills Committee, has today published a new report and warned that the United Kingdom is at a “tipping point” because it hasn’t fully addressed the “significant digital skills shortage“. One of the proposed remedies for this is to define the Internet as a utility service, “available for all to access and use“.

BT Criticised for Approach to Devon and Somerset Broadband Contract

16th February, 2015 (12 Comments)

A new report suggests that the recently announced £45.5m extension to the Connecting Devon and Somerset project, which will make superfast broadband (24Mbps+) speeds available to even more local premises, very nearly didn’t go ahead after BT initially refused to bid. The move gave the council little option but to sign an exclusive deal with BT, instead of pursuing a more open tender.

Broadband to Benefit as EU Approve GBP3bn UK Rural Development Boost

13th February, 2015 (27 Comments)

The European Commission has approved a further 18 Rural Development Programmes (worth around £10.6bn between now and 2020), which among other things will be used to improve the competitiveness of the EU’s farming sector and upgrade broadband connectivity for rural areas. Some £2,568m of the total (3.56%) will be allocated by the EU to projects in England.

PM David Cameron Promises FREE WiFi on UK Trains by 2017

11th February, 2015 (7 Comments)

The UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, has today announced the launch of a new scheme that will see the Department for Transport facilitating a £47.8m roll-out of free wireless Internet (wifi) connectivity on trains across England and Wales by 2017. Other parts of the UK are also being encouraged to do the same.

UPD CityFibre Slams Broadband Connectivity in Wales as “not fit for purpose”

11th February, 2015 (24 Comments)

Fibre optic infrastructure developer CityFibre, which recently announced plans to build a new fibre optic Public Sector Network in the city of Newport (here), has criticised business broadband connectivity in Wales as being “not fit for purpose” because, they claim, the “copper networks that were laid generations ago” are still holding the country back.

UK Hopes for Relaxed EU State Aid Rules to Help Upgrade City Broadband

11th February, 2015 (0 Comments)

The Government’s Communications Minister, Ed Vaizey MP, has hinted of his tentative expectation that the European Commission might soon relax their rules governing the use of state aid in cities. Such a move would make it easier to upgrade urban broadband Internet infrastructure and there are signs that the EC might indeed be planning just such a U-turn.

West Yorkshire Extends Business Broadband Vouchers to More Areas

9th February, 2015 (0 Comments)

After today’s Scotland expansion (here) we now have West Yorkshire (England) confirming that the Government’s Connection Voucher scheme, which offers grants worth up to £3,000 to help SME businesses in various cities across the UK to get a superfast broadband (30Mbps+) service, has been expanded to firms in Wakefield, Kirklees and Calderdale.

UK Business Broadband Vouchers Extended to 4 More Cities in Scotland

9th February, 2015 (0 Comments)

The Government’s Connection Voucher scheme, which offers grants worth between £200 and £3,000 to help small and medium sized businesses in any of 22 cities across the United Kingdom to get a superfast broadband (30Mbps+) service installed, has today been extended to four additional cities in Scotland.

Gov Helps Put 2 Million Extra UK Premises in Reach of Superfast Broadband

9th February, 2015 (11 Comments)

The Government’s £1.7bn state aid fuelled Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) project, which is predominantly working with BT in order to make fixed line superfast broadband (24Mbps+) connections available to 95% of people in the United Kingdom by 2017, has announced that its efforts have helped to put the service within reach of 2 million premises (total UK coverage of approximately 80%).