Home » UK ISP News Archive » Article Tag: Politics (2543 Posts)

Articles for Category Tag - Politics

Parliamentary Committee Sets Out Plan for UK Internet Regulation

14th December, 2021 (24 Comments)

The Joint Committee on the controversial Draft Online Safety Bill (OSB), which was setup to help establish the regulatory framework to help Ofcom tackle “harmful” content online (e.g. hate speech, bullying, terrorism, conspiracy theories etc.), has today published its report. But the tougher rules and tighter offences may not all be workable.

BT Takeover Fears Mount as Altice UK Boost Stake to 18 Percent UPDATE

14th December, 2021 (8 Comments)

Broadband giant BT, which has recently been busy boosting their defences against a possible takeover attempt by Patrick Drahi’s Altice UK, has today reported that the investor has raised their 12.1% stake in the operator (worth c.£2bn) to a total of 18%.

Audit Office Casts Doubt Over Value of N.Ireland Broadband Contract UPDATE

14th December, 2021 (8 Comments)

The Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) has today raised concerns over the number of properties that will be covered by the £165m state aid supported Project Stratum rollout in Northern Ireland, which highlights that some premises may have been “commercially viable” for FTTP broadband delivery without subsidy.

training telegraph poles openreach engineers

Dorset Council Pilot’s Training Programme for UK Fibre Engineers

9th December, 2021 (1 Comment)

The Dorset Council (DCC) in England has secured £20,000 of funding from the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Digital Pathfinders programme in order to help it develop a local pilot training programme for fibre engineers, which could help to boost gigabit broadband provision in the county.

CityFibre Start Legal Fight Over Ofcom Approval of Openreach FTTP Price Cut UPDATE2

8th December, 2021 (22 Comments)

CityFibre has this week carried out their earlier threats by launching an appeal via the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) to challenge Ofcom’s recent approval of Openreach’s “Equinox” offer (here), which introduced a “major” price cut (details) to the incumbents Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband products for UK ISPs.

Ofcom Reports Good UK Progress on Openreach’s Split from BT UPDATE

8th December, 2021 (8 Comments)

Ofcom has today published their annual monitoring report, which finds that Openreach continues to “operate with a high degree of strategic and operational independence” from BT and there has been positive progress in take-up of their Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product by rival broadband ISPs. Only a few small issues remain.

telecommunication tower a falling signal on the city

All Public 2G and 3G UK Mobile Services Switched Off by 2033

8th December, 2021 (37 Comments)

The Government has unveiled a new agreement with the four primary mobile network operators, including Vodafone, EE (BT), O2 (VMO2) and Three UK, which among other things will see existing 2G and 3G signals being “phased out” by 2033 (benefitting 4G / 5G services and mobile broadband) and a new target for OpenRAN adoption.

Government Turns Building Digital UK into Executive Agency

3rd December, 2021 (22 Comments)

The Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) team, which is part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & and Sport (DCMS) and has responsibility for delivering broadband networks across the nation (e.g. the £5bn Project Gigabit rollout scheme), is to become an Executive Agency from April 2022.

First Homes Live in ISP Wessex Internet’s Somerset FTTP Build

1st December, 2021 (0 Comments)

Rural UK ISP Wessex Internet has this week connected the first home in South Somerset to their new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network, which has been deployed as part of their state aid supported contract via the Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) programme.

Scotland Extends Interim Rural Broadband Voucher Scheme

1st December, 2021 (5 Comments)

The Scottish Government has announced that their Interim Broadband Voucher Scheme, which forms part of the £600m Reaching 100% (R100) project and is designed to help rural premises in the hardest to reach areas get a faster connection installed, has been extended to 31st March 2022 (it was previously due to finish this month).

Project Stratum FTTP Rollout in N.Ireland Hits 15,000 Premises

29th November, 2021 (0 Comments)

The £165m state aid supported Project Stratum rollout in Northern Ireland, which is working with UK ISP Fibrus to spread a gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network to a further 76,233 premises in disadvantaged rural areas by March 2024 (84,500 if you include the expansion), has just completed 15,000 premises.

British sterling one pound coin currency

Low Awareness Hampers Take-up of UK Social Broadband Tariffs

24th November, 2021 (11 Comments)

A new Opinium survey for Uswitch, which questioned 2,000 UK adults this month, has estimated that 65% of those deemed to be “financially vulnerable people” aren’t aware that social tariffs for broadband exist from various UK ISPs, with just 15% of eligible households actually applying for them.

Works to lay new paving slabs and temporary footpath closed red warning sign on London sidewalk

New UK Law Set to Boost Broadband Rollouts and Device Security

24th November, 2021 (4 Comments)

The UK Government has today introduced their new Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill (PSTI), which among other things will make it easier for broadband and mobile operators to upgrade and share infrastructure. The bill will also aim to ensure that internet connected devices are more secure.

Farmers and Landowners Launch Survey of Broadband in Wales

24th November, 2021 (5 Comments)

A large group of farming and landowners’ organisations have launched a new survey to examine the current state of broadband connectivity in Wales. The survey is partly designed to help them understand how well-equipped rural communities are for forthcoming farming regulations, which require vast amounts of online forms.

stock market float investment money in the united kingdom

ONS Finds 2021 R&D Spending on UK Telecoms Has Grown

22nd November, 2021 (0 Comments)

The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that the telecoms industry has gone from last year’s report, when spending on research and development grew by just 0.95% to total £956m, to this year when such spending has risen by 4.5% (£44m) to reach a 9-year high of £1.028bn.

Rivals Prep Legal Challenge Over Ofcom Approval of Openreach FTTP Price Cut

21st November, 2021 (31 Comments)

Several alternative UK network (AltNets) builders, including Gigaclear and CityFibre, among others, are reportedly set to launch a legal challenge against Ofcom’s recent approval of Openreach’s “Equinox” offer (here), which introduces a “major” price cut (details) to the incumbents Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband products.

Project-Gigabit-UK-Gov-Investment-Scheme-2025

Gov Targets Universal UK Gigabit Broadband Coverage for 2030

20th November, 2021 (49 Comments)

The UK Government’s £5bn Project Gigabit rollout programme appears to have quietly confirmed that they now aim to deliver “full” 1Gbps broadband coverage to the final 20% of hardest to reach premises by 2030 (effectively universal coverage), at least where it is “value for money to do so.”