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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

UPD 3 ISPs Snub BSG Launch of New UK Net Neutrality Code of Practice

25th July, 2012 (5 Comments)

The Broadband Stakeholders Group (BSG), a UK government supported think-tank, has launched a new Voluntary Code of Practice to ensure “the provision of full and open internet access” and to prevent ISPs using Traffic Management practices to “degrade the services of a competitor“. But three of the country’s largest ISPs have refused to join.

Smaller UK Altnet ISPs form Group to Challenge BT for Public Broadband Funds

24th July, 2012 (5 Comments)

The Independent Networks Cooperative Association (INCA), which works to support the development of next generation internet access around the UK, has announced the forming of a new group of smaller ISPs that could challenge BT’s apparent dominance of the publicly funded superfast broadband roll-out. But is it too little, too late?

Europe Opens Public Debate on its Future ISP Net Neutrality Rules

23rd July, 2012 (1 Comment)

The European Commission (EC), which recently announced tentative plans to allegedly support Net Neutrality (the principal of treating all internet traffic as equal) by imposing stiffer industry guidelines and delivering more “effective consumer choice“, has today launched a public consultation on the matter.

No Surprise as Wales UK Award GBP425m Superfast Broadband Contract to BT

19th July, 2012 (28 Comments)

The Welsh Government (WG) has today surprised nobody by awarding its £425m contract for the Next Generation Broadband Wales tender to BT. But of course it would as the telecoms giant has been the only bidder since January 2012 (here) when rival Fujitsu UK “voluntarily” withdrew due to the “risk levels“.

North Yorkshire UK Awards GBP70m Superfast Broadband Contract to BT

17th July, 2012 (49 Comments)

The North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) has announced that its £70m Connecting North Yorkshire (CNY) project, which aims to make superfast broadband ISP services available to “100% of businesses and citizens … by 2017” (90% by 2015), has unsurprisingly been awarded to BT.

Worcestershire UK Council Vents Anger at EU for Broadband Rollout Delay

17th July, 2012 (2 Comments)

The Worcestershire County Council (WCC) in England warns that a “gross miscalculation” has been made over the time it would take to get final approval from Europe to proceed with its planned superfast broadband roll-out, which is delaying the project that was supposed to proceed in June 2012.

Shetland Telecom Claims Scottish Highlands Need More Money for Broadband

14th July, 2012 (9 Comments)

The project manager for Shetland Telecom’s effort to roll-out a new fibre optic infrastructure around the remote Shetland Islands, Marvin Smith, has warned that the Scottish Government‘s (UK) recent allocation of £120m to improve broadband in the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) region will not be enough.

UPD2 EU Sets Out Rules to Boost Fibre Broadband Competition Until 2020

12th July, 2012 (9 Comments)

The European Commission (EC) has today set out new rules to help boost investment, development and competition in the rollout of superfast broadband technologies and services right across Europe, which will “apply at least until 2020” and support its wider Digital Agenda targets.

EU Delay Revision of Internet Data Retention Directive to Boost Privacy

12th July, 2012 (1 Comment)

The European Commission (EC) appears to have quietly confirmed that it will not revise the controversial Data Retention Directive (DRD) this year, which could affect the UK’s draft Communications Data Bill that seeks to expand the country’s internet snooping power through big broadband ISPs.

Fujitsu Withdraw from Broadband Projects in Cumbria and North Yorkshire UK

11th July, 2012 (7 Comments)

Japanese technology giant Fujitsu UK, which is one of only two major telecoms operators left in the government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) project to improve the country’s national internet infrastructure (the other is BT), plans to withdraw from bidding in two further regions – Cumbria and allegedly also North Yorkshire.

Draft UK ISP Internet Snooping Law Will Not Log Web Page Addresses

11th July, 2012 (4 Comments)

Yesterday’s meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee that is responsible for scrutinising the draft Communications Data Bill, which threatens to expand the UK’s existing internet snooping laws and force ISPs into monitoring a bigger slice of everybody’s online activity, appears to have confirmed that the bill will not require full web page addresses (URL) to be logged.

Vouchers to Help 900000 UK Homes Fix TV Loss Caused by 4G Services

11th July, 2012 (8 Comments)

The governments Communications Minister, Ed Vaizey MP, has set out the terms for a £180 million scheme to help 900,000 UK homes avoid the loss of Freeview Digital TV (DTV) services, which is expected to be disrupted by interference from the next generation of superfast “4G” (LTE) Mobile Broadband services.

Foreign Police Forces Also Allowed to Snoop on UK Internet Users

5th July, 2012 (0 Comments)

The Home Office’s revived Communications Data Bill, which seeks to expand the country’s existing internet snooping laws (data retention) and force ISPs into logging a much bigger slice of everybody’s online activity, is in trouble yet again after it was confirmed that foreign authorities will also be granted access to the data. But how much?

European Commission Stalls UK Superfast Broadband Rollout Plans

4th July, 2012 (36 Comments)

The government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) plan to roll-out superfast broadband (24Mbps+) services to 90% of the UK by 2015, which after spending £3m on consultants has left itself with a choice of just two firms (BT or Fujitsu), appears to have stalled after the European Commission (EC) expressed concern over the allocation of state aid.

CLA Expects UK Government to Miss its 2015 Superfast Broadband Target

3rd July, 2012 (13 Comments)

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA), a land owners lobby group for England and Wales, has warned that the UK governments plan to help roll-out superfast broadband (24-30Mbps+) services to 90% of the country by 2015 (the last 10% will get at least 2Mbps) could be missed because of a “slow funding process” and “reliance on fibre optic networks“.

AAISP Boss Fears Costly Technical Nightmare of UK Internet Snooping Law

2nd July, 2012 (10 Comments)

The boss of broadband ISP Andrews & Arnold (AAISP), Adrian Kennard, has warned that the UK governments new Communications Data Bill, which will expand existing internet snooping laws and force ISPs into monitoring a much bigger slice of everybody’s online activity, is “technically a nightmare” and will require providers to introduce “stupidly expensive black boxes“.

MP Claims Ofcom Slow to Save 2Million UK Freeview Homes from 4G Woe

30th June, 2012 (5 Comments)

The Shadow Minister for Media, Helen Goodman MP (Labour), has today warned that both the UK government and Ofcom are “running out of time” to find a solution for the “4G” (LTE) Mobile Broadband interference problem, which could leave up to 2 million UK households without a full ability to watch Freeview based Digital TV (DTV) services.