Posts in Policy
The Politicising of Broadband
Some interesting comments on the NGA question from David Cameron and the Conservative party today. In a speech on the economy and its various problems Cameron said this about the importance of broadband to the UK and what, if elected, he would do about it:
'Fibre optic broadband is changing the way people work and do business, and it has the potential to completely transform our economy. It could open up new markets for our creative industries, promote innovation, create new, family-friendly jobs as people can work from home - and help reduce carbon emissions. But in Britain we have some of the slowest broadband speeds in the developed world and when it comes to investing in next generation broadband networks, like fibre optics to the home, we're doing very badly compared to countries like Germany, Japan and America.'
You could squabble over a couple of these pronouncemnet but there's nothing too contentious there. More...
Future Access and Future Internet
There is plenty of information flowing on future fibre access, and it is great to see BERR begining the 'Broadband for all' trials in Oldham and Suffolk. The EU commission is also busy on fibre access policy formulation, briefing the commission on future internet services, and concerned about future innovation. It has also announced a 2009 review to see whether the USO review should include Broadband. We now have the 'Digital Britain' report to look forward too by Lord Carter.
All this, yet we still have no minimum performance guarantees of service for Broadband, no effective labeling of services, thus no transparency of service. As the SAMKNOWS report shows the engineers have built stable, (they must be stable to work) but different flavoured broadband services and in an odd way, the marketeers in selling total, complete, f More...