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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

Europe Approve Weakened Broadband Infrastructure Investment for 100Mb+

26th February, 2014 (0 Comments)

The European Parliament has today approved a €1bn (£820m) Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) investment package, which aims to support pan-European digital projects. But only 15% has been earmarked to support broadband projects of which at least one third will aim at speeds of 100Mbps+.

UPDATE3 Broadband Delivery UK Detail Plan for Spending Extra £250m

25th February, 2014 (6 Comments)

The Government has today revealed more details for how it intends to spend the next £250 million that was last year set aside to help extend fixed line superfast broadband (24Mbps+) ISP network coverage out to 95% of the United Kingdom by 2017. So what, if anything, is new.

UPD Councils and BT Move Closer to Publishing Full Broadband Rollout Data

25th February, 2014 (1 Comment)

The procrastinating over whether or not BT and or Local Authorities will ever release detailed broadband speed and coverage data, ideally down to the 7 digital postcode level, as part of the Government’s national Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) scheme could soon come to an end.. in some areas, maybe.

Port Glasgow School Block ‘Yes Scotland’ Campaign Site for Policy Violation

24th February, 2014 (0 Comments)

The curse of skin deep Internet filtering (censorship) has struck again after a young pupil studying at St Stephens school in Port Glasgow (Scotland) found that she could access the pro-union website Better Together but was blocked from accessing the pro-independence Yes Scotland one due to a “policy violation” (hehe).

South Yorkshire UK Digital Region Network Sets August 2014 Closure Date

18th February, 2014 (6 Comments)

The controversial tax payer fuelled £100m+ Digital Region superfast broadband network in South Yorkshire (England), which surprised nobody when it finally collapsed last year under a pile of its own debt and a lack of political support (here), has finally set a closure date of 15th August 2014.

BT Helped by £24.5m Northern Ireland Broadband Improvement Project

13th February, 2014 (5 Comments)

The Northern Ireland Executive (NIE) has announced a £24.5m project, which is part funded by BT and the Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) scheme, to make faster Internet speeds available to over 45,000 of the regions most remote rural homes and business premises by December 2015.

INCA Launch UK Superfast Broadband Notspot Registration Scheme

3rd February, 2014 (1 Comment)

The Independent Networks Cooperative Association, which works to support altnet ISPs and the development of Next Generation Access networks around the United Kingdom, has launched a new registration scheme to identify Superfast Broadband “Notspots“. It wouldn’t be the first.

South Gloucestershire UK “village of the future” Suffers from Slow Broadband

31st January, 2014 (20 Comments)

Residents of Aurora Springs, a new homes development in South Gloucestershire (England) that forms part of the wider Cheswick “Urban Village Concept” near Bristol, have complained to BT and the city council because their “village of the future” suffers from slow broadband access and some even have no access to a phone service.

UPDATE MP Claire Perry Claims UK ISP Internet Filters Will Not Overblock

29th January, 2014 (15 Comments)

One of the UK Government’s strongest advocates of mandatory network-level Internet filtering, MP Claire Perry, has told a Westminster eForum that modern ISP censorship systems are “far better, far stronger, much more effective and will not overblock” websites (i.e. wrongful blocking). Even though they do.. quite a lot.

Broadband Delivery UK Again Push Councils to Publish More BT Map Data

28th January, 2014 (6 Comments)

The latest Public Accounts Committee event, which saw BT’s Group Strategy Director (Sean Williams) receive another grilling by Margaret Hodge MP, has revealed that the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) office is once again writing to councils in the hope to securing a greater publication of viable broadband coverage data.

UK MPs Demand Prison Sentences for Repeat Internet Pirates

24th January, 2014 (17 Comments)

A debate on the United Kingdom’s Intellectual Property Bill has caused controversy after several MPs and the Prime Minister’s own Intellectual Property Advisor, Mike Weatherley (Conservative MP for Hove and Portslade), backed calls for persistent pirates to lose their “Internet rights” and suffer “some sort of custodial sentence“.

UPD PC League of Legends Gamers Blame UK ISP Porn Filter for Update Block

20th January, 2014 (0 Comments)

A group of PC gamers that play the popular online multiplayer game League of Legends have warned that the security settings on some broadband routers and the new generation of ISP-side network-level Internet filters, which are designed to block online adult content, could be blocking updates for the game.

Suffolk Opens New Tender for 95% Superfast Broadband Coverage Target

20th January, 2014 (2 Comments)

As expected the Suffolk County Council in England has confirmed the launch of a new tender “mini-competition” that will seek a supplier to help expand the reach of superfast broadband (25Mbps+) services to around 95% of the county, with work set to commence by the end of 2014.

Nominet Set to Scan UK Website Domain Names for Explicit Sex Terms

16th January, 2014 (4 Comments)

What’s in a name? Nominet, which handles the registry of .uk Internet domains, has bowed to Government pressure and agreed to begin the screening of website domain names so that any which “appear to signal … criminal content … or encourage serious sexual offences” can be blocked.

Broadband Delivery UK Gets New CEO and Date for GBP10m Competitive Fund

15th January, 2014 (10 Comments)

The Government’s Culture Secretary, Maria Miller, confirmed during a meeting yesterday that the former Commercial Director of the London 2012 Olympics Organising Committee, Christopher Townsend, would now lead its Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) project. A launch date for the new £10m Competitive Fund for rural areas was also revealed.

Liberal Democrat President Seeks to Halt UK ISP Internet Filtering

14th January, 2014 (2 Comments)

The national President of the UK Liberal Democrat’s, Tim Farron, has drafted a new motion for the party’s Spring Conference that will call upon their coalition partners in Government to protect the “digital rights of the citizen” and halt requirements for “misconceived, ineffective and illiberal” Internet censorship of “adult” websites.

Government Moot BDUK Fibre Broadband Plan for South Yorkshire UK

13th January, 2014 (19 Comments)

The Government has proposed a new £10 million scheme, which would be based off its existing Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programme, to help deploy superfast broadband services across 90% of South Yorkshire in England (most likely with BT’s help). The region suffered a £155m failure last year when the alternative Digital Region network collapsed.