Top Click Media Staff Blog » Broadband

Universal UK Broadband

Matt Thomas — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:26:50 +0000

The prospect of Universal broadband in the UK has been raised seriously by a report on Britain’s digital future, submitted by outgoing minister for Digital Communication, Lord Carter. Carter’s report recommends that all homes be equipped with the new generation of high-speed broadband by 2012. The report suggests that a £6 a year extra charge on all phone lines would be used to pay for the provision of the new broadband services and also outlines an intention to switch off analogue radio by 2015 and take a portion of the license fee to pay for regional news.

The task of implementing the plan will fall to Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Stephen Timms, and Culture Minister, Sion Simon. The latter is well acquainted with the internet and digital media, you may remember his spectacularly unsuccessful dalliance with YouTube in 2007 where he put on an accent and impersonated Tory leader, David Cameron.

Speaking about the plans, Mr. Timms stated, “Building a 21st-century knowledge economy is at the heart of the Government’s vision. It’s vital for jobs and growth that Britain is able to maximise the benefits of the digital revolution.”

FCC delays US Broadband Vote On Saturday the United States, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) cancelled...
LG to release new line of Broadband Televisions For years now media types and Internet gurus alike have...
Universal closing in on YouTube Joint-Venture Sources are reporting that Universal Music and YouTube are closing...

FCC delays US Broadband Vote

Jay Smith — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 10:44:13 +0000

On Saturday the United States, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) cancelled a vote on the provision free broadband across the country, that was scheduled for the 18th of December. The reason for the delay was a bipartisan letter from Democrat, Jay Rockerfeller and Republican, Henry Waxman to Kevin Martin, chairman of the FCC. They asked that the FCC postpone any major projects in order to focus on the National switch to digital TV, scheduled for February.

Waxman and Rockerfeller’s point was that there are already question marks over the FCC’s ability to handle the potentially problematic switch to digital TV. Therefore, it would be foolish to add to their workload at this point.

One company that will be happy about the delay is T-Mobile. Provision of free broadband to all US customers requires the auctioning of the segment of airwaves next to the portion that the company recently paid $4.2 billion dollars for. They are worried about interference from their neighboring segment, though the FCC claim that this will not be a problem.

Either way, it seems that the dream of free US broadband, which has already endured delay after delay, will have to be put on hold again.

Universal UK Broadband The prospect of Universal broadband in the UK has been...
LG to release new line of Broadband Televisions For years now media types and Internet gurus alike have...
Google’s Broadband Fastlane Google is currently poised to, in some people’s opinion, abandon...