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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

UPDATE3 UK Culture Secretary Hauls in ISPs to Expand Internet Censorship

6th June, 2013 (8 Comments)

The UK government’s culture secretary, Maria Miller, has called in major mobile operators, broadband ISPs and online content giants (BT, Sky, Facebook, Twitter etc.) to a special summit on 17th June 2013 where she intends to urge stricter censorship of internet websites and services that distribute “harmful material”.

UK Opposes EU Measures for Cutting Broadband Deployment Costs

29th May, 2013 (0 Comments)

The House of Commons has advised the President of the Council of the European Union that it objects to the European Commission’s proposals to cut the cost of broadband related civil engineering tasks (e.g. digging up roads to lay new fibre optic cable) because the measures “do not comply” with the principle of subsidiarity.

Government Puts UK Superfast Broadband Projects on AMBER RED ALERT

25th May, 2013 (16 Comments)

The government’s Major Projects Authority (MPA), which was setup in 2010 to help improve the “delivery success rate” of major publicly funded projects through collaboration between various departments (Cabinet Office, HM Treasury etc.), has put the effort to roll-out superfast broadband to 90% of the UK on Amber/Red Alert.

Europe Seeks One Telecoms Regulator to Rule Them All – Replace Ofcom

21st May, 2013 (6 Comments)

The European Commission’s Digital Agenda boss, Neelie Kroes, will next month unveil her plans for a single telecoms market that is expected to propose the semi-abolishment of national regulators and the creation of one regulator to govern the whole of Europe (telecoms policy).

Europe Clears £51m Superfast Broadband BDUK Rollout in Cumbria UK

20th May, 2013 (2 Comments)

The European Commission’s (EC) competition authority has officially granted Major Projects Approval to the £50.8m state aid supported Connecting Cumbria project in North West England, which aims to roll-out BT’s superfast broadband (FTTC/P) services to over 93% of the county by the end of 2015. Oh and the speed target is now 240Mbps? Oops.

UK Government Takes All Credit for Virgin Media and BT Broadband Efforts

16th May, 2013 (11 Comments)

A new progress update from the government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has slyly taken all the credit for the private sectors own commercially funded efforts to improve superfast broadband access around the United Kingdom.

UK Labour Party Pledge £75m to Boost Rural Superfast Broadband

13th May, 2013 (0 Comments)

The British Labour Party appears to have begun its early campaigning for the next general election in 2015 by proposing that £75 million from the floundering £150 million “super-connected cities” (Urban Broadband Fund) programme be diverted to help connect those in most need (i.e. the last 10% of neglected rural areas).

UPDATE2 UK Accuses EU of Delaying Urban Broadband Funding Approval

9th May, 2013 (4 Comments)

The Project Director for the government’s £150m Urban Broadband Fund (UBF), which aims to help expand the coverage of “ultra-fast” broadband (80-100Mbps+) and “high speed” public wifi services into neglected areas, has blamed Brussels for once again delaying funding approvals and forcing selected cities to “urgently find a Plan B“.

UK ISP Internet Snooping Confusion Reigns Over 2013 Queens Speech

8th May, 2013 (3 Comments)

Is it or isn’t it still alive? The State Opening of Parliament took place this morning and everybody was watching to, among other things, see if the UK government’s hugely controversial internet snooping legislation (Communications Data Bill) was still alive. The result.. confusion.

Northern Ireland Plough GBP5m Into Last Few Rural Broadband Notspots

8th May, 2013 (2 Comments)

The Northern Ireland Executive (NIE) has announced plans to invest a further £5 million to help plug the regions last remaining broadband “not spots” in remote rural areas by supporting new fixed line internet connectivity solutions from “third party companies“.

Culture Secretary Finally Visits B4RNs 1Gbps FTTH Network in Lancashire UK

30th April, 2013 (2 Comments)

It might have taken a year and a change of minister but the UK government’s Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Maria Miller, has finally found the time to visit B4RN‘s community-built fibre optic broadband network in rural Lancashire (England).

PAC Report Casts Doubt Over Broadband and Other UK Infrastructure Projects

29th April, 2013 (4 Comments)

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is appointed by the House of Commons to examine public expenditure, has criticised the government’s £310bn National Infrastructure Plan (NIP) for being a “list of projects” that lacks a “real plan with a strategic vision and clear priorities“.

UPDATE3 Deputy PM Nick Clegg Hints UK ISP Internet Snooping Bill is Dead

25th April, 2013 (6 Comments)

The UK coalition government’s Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg (Liberal Democrat), has this morning put the cat amongst the pigeons after he told London’s LBC 97.3 radio station that the controversial internet snooping bill “isn’t going to happen“.

UK Privacy Groups Attack ISP Silence Over Internet Snooping Talks

23rd April, 2013 (6 Comments)

The Open Rights Group, Privacy International and Big Brother Watch have today attacked some of the United Kingdom’s best known ISPs for betraying their customers by engaging “in a conspiracy of silence with the Home Office” over controversial proposals to expand the country’s existing internet snooping law (Communications Data Bill).

UK Government Denies Superfast Broadband Targets Slipping to 2016

22nd April, 2013 (12 Comments)

The government’s Communications Minister, Ed Vaizey, has told the House of Commons that he still hopes 90% of the United Kingdom will have access to a superfast broadband (25Mbps+) ISP by the end of 2015. But he admitted that they were still “actively looking at the options” for a post-2015 strategy.

UPDATE ICO Demands to See Evidence for UK ISP Internet Snooping Bill

22nd April, 2013 (0 Comments)

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which deals with data protection and freedom of information issues for the government, has reportedly ordered the Home Office to publish any advice that ministers received regarding the design, cost and risks for key parts of the controversial internet snooping bill (Communications Data Bill).

DEFRA Finds Just 32% of UK Farmers Get Above 2Mbps Broadband

11th April, 2013 (41 Comments)

The government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) recently published the results of its Farm Practices Survey 2012, which reported that 86% of farms had access to a computer in 2012 (up from 74% in 2008) and 98% of those were connected to the internet. But fast broadband ISP connectivity remains a rarity.