The UK Government’s Minister of State for Media and Data (DCMS), John Whittingdale MP, has indicated that the BBC’s TV licence fee could be scrapped once everybody in the country finally has access to faster broadband connectivity. The idea may be considered for when the corporation’s royal charter expires in 2027.
The HM Treasury has announced that its plan to setup a new UK Infrastructure Bank, which was first proposed in last year’s Spending Review, will be supported by an initial £12bn in capital investment and £10bn in loan guarantees. In theory this could help to unlock more private investment, such as to boost the gigabit broadband rollout.
In a surprise twist the UK Government has technically started the rollout phase of their £5bn Gigabit Broadband Programme early by reaching a unique agreement with the Scottish Government’s existing £579m Reaching 100% (R100) project, which will see them replace FTTC with FTTP in rural parts of Central Scotland.
The Government’s Building Digital UK programme has begun a new consultation to help them identify what existing or planned commercial gigabit-capable broadband coverage exists in Cumbria (England), which will help to establish the areas where public investment may be needed to rollout the service.
The Government has today published the draft procurement strategy for their new £5bn Gigabit Broadband Programme (F20), which is a consultation on their plan to ensure that gigabit-capable networks reach a “minimum” of 85% UK coverage by the end of 2025 (before getting “as close to 100% as possible” thereafter).
The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has today published his 2020 Spending Review and in so doing has kicked off the new £5bn UK Gigabit Broadband Programme, which previously aimed to ensure that “every home” could access a 1Gbps capable connection by the end of 2025 but now expects a “minimum” of 85% coverage by that date.