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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

UK MPs Consider Judicial Review of DRIP Internet Snooping Act

23rd July, 2014 (4 Comments)

The UK’s semi-recycled Data Retention and Investigation Powers Act (DRIP), which extends the range of Internet snooping that the Government can perform on its citizens and was controversially rushed into law last week under emergency powers (here), will become the subject of a Judicial Review process if some MPs get their way.

Low UK Uptake of Broadband Connection Vouchers Despite Tweaks

23rd July, 2014 (3 Comments)

The Government’s Broadband Connection Vouchers scheme, which offers grants worth up to £3,000 to help SME businesses install a superfast broadband (30Mbps+) service in 22 cities across the United Kingdom, is continuing to suffer from low uptake with only around 4% (1,500 approved applications) of the £100m fund being drawn down.

UPDATE UK ISPs Agree Voluntary Internet Piracy Warning Letters Scheme

19th July, 2014 (4 Comments)

The Government, Rights Holders and four of the country’s largest broadband ISPs, including Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk and Sky Broadband, have resolved their differences and announced the launch of a new “education programme” to help combat Internet piracy (copyright infringement) by sending warning letters to customers suspected of sharing “illegal” copyright content via File Sharing (P2P) networks.

AAISP Pledges to Protect UK Users from Government Internet Snoops

16th July, 2014 (8 Comments)

As the controversial Data Retention and Investigation Powers Bill (DRIP) slips its way through the House of Commons and into the House of Lords, the outspoken boss of broadband ISP Andrews & Arnold (AAISP), Adrian Kennard, has promised to use “all practical legal means” in order to protect their customers from state sponsored Internet snooping.

UPDATE RSA Slams BT and Virgin for Lack of Broadband Competition in Cities

16th July, 2014 (9 Comments)

The RSA’s City Growth Commission, which claims to be an “enlightenment organisation” committed to finding innovative practical solutions to modern social challenges, has published a new report that calls on the Government to improve broadband provision in UK cities and criticises BT and Virgin Media for working to “constrain supply and market competition“.

England’s National Parks Agree to Better Mobile Broadband Coverage

15th July, 2014 (3 Comments)

The National Parks England (NPE) and UK Mobile Operators Association (MOA) have reached a new “landmark agreement” that aims to boost the coverage of mobile phone and Mobile Broadband connectivity in protected rural areas, albeit while also “minimising any adverse environmental impacts” and working “proactively and pragmatically in order to achieve these aims“.

Alternative Superfast Broadband Plan for South Yorkshire UK Picks BT

15th July, 2014 (18 Comments)

The South Yorkshire (England) councils of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield appear to have progressed a proposal to roll-out superfast broadband (24Mbps+) connectivity across the region by matching an investment offer of £10.4 million from the Broadband Delivery UK programme, which will help to replace the defunct Digital Region network. BT is set to supply.

UPDATE Independent Scotland Could Gain a USO for Broadband Internet

14th July, 2014 (3 Comments)

The Scottish Government has announced that it will set-up a Rural Connectivity Commission as part of their new proposals, which would aim to improve the country’s postal, transport, mobile and broadband Internet access connectivity in the event of a vote in favour of becoming independent from the United Kingdom (i.e. referendum on 18th September 2014).

UPDATE UK FSB Seek 10Mbps Broadband for All by 2018 and 100Mb by 2030

14th July, 2014 (56 Comments)

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has today called on the Government of the United Kingdom to improve their current broadband coverage ambitions by raising the Universal Service Commitment (USC) from 2Mbps (Megabits per second) of Internet download speed to 10Mbps by 2018-2019, which would then rise again to 100Mbps+ by 2030.

Europe Offers Support to Local Community Broadband Projects

10th July, 2014 (0 Comments)

The European Commission (EC) has today moved to complement their Digital Agenda project, which aims to make broadband speeds of 30Mbps+ available to all EU homes come 2020, by launching a new “Connected Communities” initiative that offers additional funding and support to local community broadband partnerships and operators.

UPDATE6 Government Recycles UK ISP Internet and Phone Snooping Law

10th July, 2014 (10 Comments)

The government will today announce emergency legislation that many fear could be an amended version of its controversial RIPA or Communications Data Bill (CDB) which, before it was shelved for a second time, aimed to extend the United Kingdom’s existing internet snooping powers by requiring ISPs to log a much bigger slice of everybody’s online activity; regardless of whether or not you’ve ever committed a crime.

Poor Broadband and IT Skills Fuel Criticism of UK Digital by Default Policy

8th July, 2014 (14 Comments)

The Government’s new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and so-called “digital by default” strategy, which among other things seeks to save money by making some services online-only, faced criticism in the House of Commons on Monday after MPs blasted it for being introduced before some rural farmers could even get access to a good broadband connection.

39 New Local Growth Deals to Improve Superfast Broadband in England

7th July, 2014 (2 Comments)

The Government has today announced an investment of £6bn to help fund the first wave of 39 new Growth Deals with businesses and local authorities across England, which among other things will also bring new money to build new homes and improve the coverage of superfast broadband services alongside the Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programme.

RCBF Fails Target to Give 70000 Rural Premises Superfast Broadband

5th July, 2014 (25 Comments)

The government’s controversial £20 million Rural Community Broadband Fund (RCBF), which originally aimed to help remote rural areas in the last 5-10% of England gain access to superfast broadband, will fall well short of its original target to help up to 70,000 premises and is instead only set to pass between 20-25,000 premises.

Small Progress on Broadband Cover and 7 Digit Postcodes in Cumbria

4th July, 2014 (7 Comments)

The Cumbria County Council and BT have finally given a full 7-digit postcode level breakdown (albeit in verbal form) of their anticipated superfast broadband (FTTC/P) coverage in the region, although unfortunately the data is only for the Grasmere telephone exchange area.

UPDATE London’s Tech City Still Suffering a Lack of Superfast Broadband

4th July, 2014 (13 Comments)

The government’s plans for Shoreditch’s Tech City have been criticised by Labour MP Meg Hillier after it was claimed that around a third of local businesses, not to mention many homes, are still without access to high-speed broadband, while the £3,000 Connection Voucher (“Super-Connected Cities“) scheme that was setup to help has been branded as a “national embarrassment“.

UK Government Agrees – Too Much Internet Content Regulation is Bad

4th July, 2014 (1 Comment)

The Government has just given its official response to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee’s inquiry into Online Safety, which in March 2014 warned that website blocking by UK ISPs was “highly unlikely to be a suitable approach” for tackling porn or violent material on the Internet (here). Broadly the government agrees, but you should still expect more filtering by ISPs in the future.