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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

Countryside Alliance Calls on UK Gov to Set Out Full Fibre Funding

28th June, 2019 (6 Comments)

The Countryside Alliance, which is home to 100,000 members who campaign to protect UK rural areas, has called on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA) to demand a “funding strategy” from the Government to support the aspiration of making “full fibre” (FTTP) broadband available nationwide by 2033.

Broadband Only Given Small Boost in New UK Tourism Sector Deal

28th June, 2019 (1 Comment)

The UK Government has announced the “first ever” tourism sector deal, which among other things aims to “prepare Britain for an extra 9 million visitors per year” and includes a commitment to build 130,000 new hotel rooms by 2025. As part of that there’s also a relatively small £250,000 boost for broadband connectivity.

Grant Shapps MP Calls for Competition Probe of UK Mobile Giants

24th June, 2019 (4 Comments)

The chair of the cross-party British Infrastructure Group (BIG), Grant Shapps MP, has called on the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate claims of “potential collusion between some major operators,” which it’s alleged may have contributed to the sudden collapse of mobile retailer Phones 4U in 2014.

UK ISP Internet Porn Ban DELAYED AGAIN Due to Gov Admin Error

20th June, 2019 (11 Comments)

The Government’s controversial new internet age verification system, which was due to be implemented by commercial websites and “apps” that contain pornographic content (broadband ISPs would be forced to block sites that fail to comply), has once again been delayed and will not now be enforced from 15th July 2019.

North Wales Sets Out Gigabit Full Fibre Plan to Connect Public Sites

19th June, 2019 (6 Comments)

The North Wales Economic Ambition Board (NWEAB) has today set out its plan for investing up to £7m from Wave 3 of the UK Government’s Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) programme, which will see Gigabit capable fibre and “ultrafast broadband” services being used to connect up to 400 further public sector sites.

Gov to Give CMA Power to Fine UK Broadband ISPs for Loyalty Penalty UPDATE

18th June, 2019 (3 Comments)

The UK Government has proposed to beef up the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) so that it can “decide for itself whether consumer protection law has been broken” and impose fines for “wrongdoing,” such when potentially unfair pricing is applied to vulnerable customers (“loyalty penalty“).

Boris Johnson Pledges Full Fibre for All UK by 2025 – Doesn’t Say How UPDATE

17th June, 2019 (44 Comments)

In-between skipping TV leadership debates the current front-runner to be the United Kingdom’s next Prime Minister, Boris Johnson MP, has made the rather striking pledge toward “delivering full fibre [broadband] to every home in the land” by 2025. Naturally he fails to say how this would be funded or even possible.

Gov to Simplify 5G Planning Process and Put £40m into New UK Trials

12th June, 2019 (1 Comment)

The UK Government has today committed a further £40m from their 5G Testbeds and Trials (5GTT) programme to support another round of projects, which will help to show how the ultrafast mobile broadband tech could support work in the “logistics and manufacturing sectors.” They also want to simplify the planning process to help rollouts.

Fears of Unlawful Bulk Internet Surveillance Data Retention by MI5

12th June, 2019 (6 Comments)

A legal challenged brought by Liberty in the UK High Court has pointed to the “undoubtedly unlawful” bulk retention of largely innocent peoples communications data (telecoms and internet) by MI5, which stems from an apparent failure to adhere to the safeguards set out in the Government’s 2016 Investigatory Powers Act (IPAct).

UK Ranks 5th in 2019 EU Broadband Connectivity Progress Study

11th June, 2019 (7 Comments)

The European Commission has published their 2019 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), which uses data from 2018 to reveal how the UK’s fixed line broadband and mobile networks compare with the rest of the EU. This year we jumped in overall rank from 6th to 5th out of 28 countries but are only 10th for connectivity.

Scotland’s R100 Broadband Contract Delayed Until End of 2019

7th June, 2019 (15 Comments)

The Scottish Government’s Minister for Connectivity, Paul Wheelhouse, has confirmed that contracts for the £600m Reaching 100% (R100) superfast broadband project won’t now be signed until the “end of the year,” which suggests that the rollout may be unable to complete by the end of 2021 (March 2022 financial) as planned.

Ofcom UK CEO Sharon White to Exit Telecoms and Media Regulator

6th June, 2019 (16 Comments)

The CEO of Ofcom, Sharon White, has today confirmed that she will step down from her stewardship of the United Kingdom’s telecoms, broadband and media regulator by “around the turn of the year“. The regulator’s board will now begin the process of finding a replacement (subject to final approval by the DCMS Secretary of State).

Rural UK Landowners Seek Guarantees in Rural 4G Mobile Rollout

6th June, 2019 (10 Comments)

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA), Countryside Alliance, National Farmers Union (NFU), Rural Services Network and Which? have today jointly called on the UK Government to ensure that the proposed plan by mobile broadband operators to improve rural 4G network coverage meets “four key tests.”

Ofcom Set March 2020 Launch for 10Mbps UK Broadband USO

6th June, 2019 (48 Comments)

The national telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today confirmed the final details for how the new 10Mbps+ (1Mbps upload) Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband – to be supplied by ISPs BT and KCOM – will be delivered and work once it’s introduced from 20th March 2020.

Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland in £12m Full Fibre Bid

6th June, 2019 (2 Comments)

The North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA), which represents Newcastle, North Tyneside (Tyne and Wear) and Northumberland, has put its support behind a £12 million bid for funding from the UK Government’s Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) programme that could help to spread Gigabit connectivity into rural areas.

Spare a Thought for the Falkland Islands and Terrible Broadband

5th June, 2019 (23 Comments)

We often report in gripes with rural broadband connectivity from across the United Kingdom but spare a thought for the 3,400 people living on the largely self-governing and self-sufficient Falkland Islands, where all of the fixed line services and mobile networks are still supplied by a limited Satellite data link.

Lowestoft Council Aim to Extend Full Fibre Broadband to Local Homes

5th June, 2019 (5 Comments)

The East Suffolk Council in England has agreed to explore a proposed extension of Cityfibre and UK ISP MLL Telecom’s on-going rollout of a new “full fibre” network across the town of Lowestoft, which would enable the network to bring “ultrafast broadband” speeds of 1000Mbps+ to local homes and smaller businesses.