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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

Gov Consults on UK Regulation of Internet Video Streaming Services

31st August, 2021 (21 Comments)

At present traditional linear TV channels, such as BBC 1 and Sky, are regulated differently from on-demand broadband-based TV (IPTV) services like Netflix, Amazon and Apple TV. But the UK government has launched a consultation that seeks to “level the regulatory playing field,” which may force streaming services to adopt stricter rules.

VX Fiber – What UK FTTP Broadband Projects Can Learn from Sweden

30th August, 2021 (22 Comments)

In a new ISPreview.co.uk interview the Chairman of Swedish operator VX Fiber, Mikael Sandberg, has helped to illuminate the “stark difference in attitude towards fibre in the UK compared with Sweden” and highlights some of the ways in which FTTP broadband deployments on this side of the channel could be improved.

Openreach’s Director of Fibre Build Talks Scotland’s R100 Rollout

27th August, 2021 (7 Comments)

Openreach’s (BT) Director of fibre build for the UK, Andrew Hepburn, has today helped ISPreview.co.uk to understand some of the challenges they face in extending Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband across rural parts of Scotland under the £600m Reaching 100% (R100) project and how they’re overcoming them.

Back to Schools Campaign Offers GBP75 Grant for UK Broadband

26th August, 2021 (0 Comments)

The UK Government has today launched its “back to school and college campaign” to set out the experience that students can expect from September 2021, which among other things includes support for remote education when young people test positive for COVID-19 and need to isolate. A £75 broadband grant forms part of this.

Welsh Gov Consults on Gigabit Broadband Coverage in Wales

24th August, 2021 (1 Comment)

The Welsh Government has today launched a new Open Market Review (OMR) for Wales, which aims to identify any existing or planned commercial coverage of gigabit broadband ISP networks. The review will help to establish the areas where public investment may be needed to deploy the service.

Project Stratum FTTP Rollout in N.Ireland Adds 8500 Extra Premises

24th August, 2021 (7 Comments)

The Government’s Building Digital UK (DCMS) team has today announced that their £5bn Project Gigabit programme will supply an extra £25m for the Project Stratum contract in Northern Ireland, which will enable the rollout of Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP technology to reach an additional 8,500 premises.

Gov Report Suggests Designating UK Broadband as Essential Utility

24th August, 2021 (27 Comments)

The UK Government’s Office for Science has published a new report into increasing the contribution of science and technology for the sustainability of the UK’s health and care system, which among other things advises that the Prime Minister should consider “designating broadband as an essential utility.” But that isn’t a magic fix.

Sheep on a meadow and the Dinas Reservoir, near Ponterwyd Ceredigion, Dyfed, Wales, UK

PCF Grants to Help Rural UK Communities Get Better Broadband

23rd August, 2021 (0 Comments)

The Prince’s Countryside Fund, which is a UK-wide charity that was founded by The Prince of Wales, has opened up applications for their ‘Supporting Rural Communities’ fund that could provide up to £25,000 over 2 years to support “innovative projects” that “create a long-term difference” in remote rural areas (e.g. broadband upgrades).

BDUK Publish Batch of New Gigabit Broadband Coverage Reviews

20th August, 2021 (11 Comments)

The UK Government has just launched several new Public Reviews at once, this time for Shropshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Suffolk and Norfolk in England, which aims to identify any existing or planned commercial coverage of gigabit broadband ISP networks. Such reviews help to establish the areas where public investment may be needed.

Wales Mandates Gigabit Ready Broadband for New Social Housing

18th August, 2021 (5 Comments)

The Welsh Government (WG) has just published an updated version of their quality requirements for any new affordable homes that are funded by the WG itself (e.g. social housing), which among other things will require that they must now be made “ready” for gigabit-capable broadband ISP connections.

Fiber optics network cable lights abstract background 123rf

Neos Completes Full Fibre Upgrade Across Perth and Kinross

17th August, 2021 (2 Comments)

Neos Networks, which operates a 24,480km+ long fibre network via over 477 related Points of Presence (PoPs) across the UK, has completed its £1.5m state aid supported Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) rollout project in Perth, Scotland, ahead of schedule. As a result, 31 public sector sites can now access gigabit speeds.

BSG Study Examines Gigabit Broadband for Remote UK Rural Areas

16th August, 2021 (7 Comments)

The Broadband Stakeholder Group, which is a think-tank that advises the UK Government, has today published new research from Analysys Mason that examines some of the commercial and technical practicalities of providing faster broadband coverage to areas in the UK that are hardest to reach.

tank pointing at bt openreach engineer long

Openreach Rivals Warn Ofcom NOT to Allow Big Fibre Price Cut

16th August, 2021 (49 Comments)

Alternative UK network providers have heavily criticised Ofcom’s provisional decision not to oppose Openreach’s (BT) proposal for a “major” price cut to their wholesale Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband products, which they warn could impact competition by discouraging ISPs from adopting rival networks.

WeFibre Unveil FTTP Rollout for Northumberland, Cumbria and Wales

16th August, 2021 (6 Comments)

UK ISP WeFibre (Telcom Group), which recently raised £63m of funding from Gresham House, has today announced its plan to “aggressively” rollout a new gigabit speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network to rural areas across Northumberland, Cumbria, North West England, as well as Central and North Wales.

The UK Gov’s Technical Definition of Gigabit Capable Broadband

13th August, 2021 (55 Comments)

One aspect of the UK Government’s new £5bn Project Gigabit programme that we haven’t touched on much is the “technical definition” for how they actually define such broadband ISP products, which is partly because this has been in a state of flux as the project evolved. But it now looks much closer to final.

Closure of Gigabit Voucher Scheme Threatens B4RN’s Fibre Build UPDATE

12th August, 2021 (43 Comments)

The B4RN (Broadband for the Rural North) project, which is building a 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across rural premises in several UK counties, has warned that the Government’s new £5bn Project Gigabit programme is threatening to seriously disrupt their builds in Cumbria and Northumberland.

North of Tyne Gets GBP7m for 5G and Future Connectivity Fund

9th August, 2021 (2 Comments)

The North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA), which represents Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland in England, recently announced that they will put £7 million toward a new 5G and Future Connectivity Fund, which is largely intended to help boost mobile and “full fibre” broadband connectivity in rural areas.