Broadband News
News, views and analysis
Superfast Broadband For All - P.M.
22 Mar 2010 | 11.45 Europe/London
In a speech today Gordon Brown set out a vision of "ensuring, not simply hoping for, universal coverage" of high speed broadband and "to make Britain the leading superfast broadband digital power creating 100 per cent access to every home".
There is an interesting contrast between the universality of the above forward looking statements, describing the "Britain of 2020", and the somewhat more immediate issue of the Universal Service Commitment "to commit public funding to ensure existing broadband reaches nearly every household in Britain by 2012".
So "nearly every household" will get "2 Meg" broadband in a couple of years, but those left out in 2012 can expect superfast broadband by 2020 ?
The speech is inevitably thin on detail, and is made by a politician who may be out of office in 3 months time let alone after the two Parliaments that will come and go before 2020. The 50p/month landline levy was mentioned as part of the difference between Gordon's determination to bring universal coverage and the "laissez faire" approach of "others".
[ Speech transcript ]
There is an interesting contrast between the universality of the above forward looking statements, describing the "Britain of 2020", and the somewhat more immediate issue of the Universal Service Commitment "to commit public funding to ensure existing broadband reaches nearly every household in Britain by 2012".
So "nearly every household" will get "2 Meg" broadband in a couple of years, but those left out in 2012 can expect superfast broadband by 2020 ?
The speech is inevitably thin on detail, and is made by a politician who may be out of office in 3 months time let alone after the two Parliaments that will come and go before 2020. The 50p/month landline levy was mentioned as part of the difference between Gordon's determination to bring universal coverage and the "laissez faire" approach of "others".
[ Speech transcript ]
Excuse me if I don't hold my breath.
I'm lucky, I've got a 4mb connection with BT in MK, where we don't have an option of cable broadband.
So basically it's a closed shop, you have to have ADSL...and the speeds in MK vary from very good to very slow.
BT have said they don't have plans to upgrade Bradwell Abbey for Infinity at the moment.
22 Mar 2010 | 13.25 Europe/London
I'm of the same opinion of einsteinradio. I'm another MK resident and I'm lucky if I get 1.5mbs. I dream of having 2mb let alone 4mb. Come on Mr Brown and Mr Cameron (when you get into office after the election) force BT to stop dragging it's heals and rollout fibre optics now everywhere!!!
27 Mar 2010 | 16.39 Europe/London
Empty meaningless - desperate statement which actually cause more harm than good.
Grassroots support for Community Broadband projects is the best method to get 100% coverage in rural areas. But everytime Policitians such as Gordon Brown make empty statements like this, it just entrenches BT position further.
If Gordon Brown would have done some research he would see that BT has actually quietly put back many of the 21CN installation dates that were promised by BT at its launch.
Samknows has also removed installation dates from its website where the dates have since passed and no installation has taken place.
Why hasn't Samknows highlighted the delayed roll-out of the 21CN?
27 Mar 2010 | 18.29 Europe/London