At last! Broadband for all in the UK.

[stew2]

Im on 50mb broadband and thats about what i get but after midnight i get speeds like the 1 in my sig.

I got this as i wanted fast broadband and so i payed for it. While i agree most of britains internet speeds are rubbish its up to the companies involved to lay down fiber optic cables and then for us the consumer to pay to use it.

I dont see why i should pay more taxes or have an increase in my bills so someone else can get broadband. WTF

 

[severedsolo]

the problem is that BT who own the majority of our phone network have been sitting on their hands for far too long, and are unwilling to roll out fibre optic broadband to the entire country because they dont feel the returns will justify it,

at the moment its only the cities and major towns that have fibre optic, i live in a rural part of the country on the east coast and we were told that we would be getting ADSL2+ at the end of the month, now less than a week away they have changed their mind and now have "no plans to lay it any time soon"

 

[hybridfan]

It's only fair all children should have the same access to the internet.

I'll pay for my child and they can pay for theirs, if people cant afford stuff for their kids then they shouldn't have them rather than just spitting them out and expecting the state and ultimately me to foot the bill.

Well said

 

[hybridfan]

Now if we all got exactly the same speed of broadband and I mean exactly the same I would have no problems, but you see I don't want to pay someone's internet if they are getting higher speed rate, call me selfish seems unfair to me.

 

[severedsolo]

Now if we all got exactly the same speed of broadband and I mean exactly the same I would have no problems, but you see I don't want to pay someone's internet if they are getting higher speed rate, call me selfish seems unfair to me.

the point of this tax is not to pay for someone to get faster speed, its to allow those people who cant even get broadband to get it, at a rate of 2mbps minimum,

speaking as someone who until recently due to bandwith constraints with my ISP was constantly being forced down to a mere 512kbps from 5.5Mbps at peak times i can certainly see how frustrating it must be for those who cant get broadband at all

 

[Joan Archer]

speaking as someone who until recently due to bandwith constraints with my ISP was constantly being forced down to a mere 512kbps from 5.5Mbps at peak times i can certainly see how frustrating it must be for those who cant get broadband at all

That was my normal speed regardless of time of day and I was paying nearly £23 a month for the privilege, it was anytime unlimited, there's no chance of cable around here we can't even get mains gas
I changed back to BT and pay a few pence more for just under 4 Mbps now.

At present it's going to be the latter half of next year before my exchange is put up to 21CN, BT Wholesale is the sole provider and I'm 1.37 k away from the exchange, by road.

 

[johnwillyums]

Congrats on 1500 posts Joan

 

[zezasu]

So many heartless people round here. Talk about not having compassion.

I don't think people are being heartless at all. Granted it is what you think but I think I would not like it at all either.

My reasoning is people should be self sufficient and work hard for they things they need or want. While I live in the US if I did not have Internet, we could easily go to a public library or go to my school and use their computers/wifi connections. There is always an option but some people choose to not use it. (does not count towards people who cant even get access to it in far away areas even though there is satellite web now. )
I am not some person who thinks they are high and mighty, considering my parents started dirt poor and worked hard and it is why I can enjoy using my web and other goodies. I will not forget that and keep going strong.
Today many people want something for nothing and it is what is making the world go sour.

 

[CarlTR6]

So many heartless people round here. Talk about not having compassion.

I don't think people are being heartless at all. Granted it is what you think but I think I would not like it at all either.

My reasoning is people should be self sufficient and work hard for they things they need or want. While I live in the US if I did not have Internet, we could easily go to a public library or go to my school and use their computers/wifi connections. There is always an option but some people choose to not use it. (does not count towards people who cant even get access to it in far away areas even though there is satellite web now. )
I am not some person who thinks they are high and mighty, considering my parents started dirt poor and worked hard and it is why I can enjoy using my web and other goodies. I will not forget that and keep going strong.
Today many people want something for nothing and it is what is making the world go sour.

Very well said.

 

[manhunter2826]

I do sometimes think that super-fast broadband (I do stress that [define?] ) is a privilege and not a right.

 

[xXSevenXx]

The auction for next-generation mobile phone licences in the UK is over, leaving Chancellor Gordon Brown with a £22.47bn ($35.4bn) windfall...

BBC NEWS | Business | UK mobile phone auction nets billions

 

[johnwillyums]

I don't think it's about some liberal ideas of being nice to kids and pensioners.
It's about Britain and the recession. The Government are creating a boost for the IT/Telecommunications sector and placing Britain in, what is perceived to be, a favourably competitive looking position from the international business viewpoint.
Everyone's got broadband, lets do business there:sarc:

 

[Joan Archer]

The auction for next-generation mobile phone licences in the UK is over, leaving Chancellor Gordon Brown with a £22.47bn ($35.4bn) windfall...

BBC NEWS | Business | UK mobile phone auction nets billions

Interesting article, I use Orange and Vodafone on my phones but only as pay as you go, don't bother with Internet on them, in fact they are only really emergency use phones when out of the house and with me that doesn't happen very often so a £10 top up can last months

 

[Joan Archer]

Congrats on 1500 posts Joan

Thank you John you're the only one that's noticed

 

[noobvious]

Congrats on 1500 posts Joan

Thank you John you're the only one that's noticed

Congrats Joan!

 

[CarlTR6]

Congrats on 1500 posts Joan

Thank you John you're the only one that's noticed

A big congratulations, Joan. Good show.

 

[neo101]

LOL! I find this amusing, how such a teenie tiny island country which is has a much lower population than the United States and less land to cover for technology to "spread" STILL doesn't have broadband everywhere? we have over 310 million people and probably the 3rd largest country by land (Alaska included) and we have every corner of the country covered with broadband and just about every citizen covered as well with multiple "broadband" options such as DSL, 3G/4G, Cable, FiOS, Satellite, WiFi etc. yet England needs a lameduck politician to push a damn Bill to FORCE everyone to get broadband? England is slow fer sure

It's because our Politicians do everything for short-termist motives > Popularity and keep themselves in vain-glorious POWER longer! (make our party/politician look popular and in a good light)

Decade after decade they screw up long term planning for our transport networks, housing, schools, infrastructure, IT, future energy needs - the list is endless!

UK people are sick of their short-termist attitudes and direct lies to our faces in order to get themselves elected!

And the World can see how bent the majority are with constant scandals being released in the media!

 

[Tarka Dal]

It's only fair all children should have the same access to the internet.

I'll pay for my child and they can pay for theirs, if people cant afford stuff for their kids then they shouldn't have them rather than just spitting them out and expecting the state and ultimately me to foot the bill.

+1

Should have passed this here in the US instead of the healthcare bill. Now I'm gonna have to pay taxes for something I'll never use.

I agree. I would have loved to see that bill passed here

It's only fair all children should have the same access to the internet.

I'll pay for my child and they can pay for theirs, if people cant afford stuff for their kids then they shouldn't have them rather than just spitting them out and expecting the state and ultimately me to foot the bill.

Well said

I do sometimes think that super-fast broadband (I do stress that [define?] ) is a privilege and not a right.

My god there are some selfish people around.
I won't comment on people and selfishness!

 

[Tarka Dal]

So many heartless people round here. Talk about not having compassion.

I don't think people are being heartless at all. Granted it is what you think but I think I would not like it at all either.

My reasoning is people should be self sufficient and work hard for they things they need or want. While I live in the US if I did not have Internet, we could easily go to a public library or go to my school and use their computers/wifi connections. There is always an option but some people choose to not use it. (does not count towards people who cant even get access to it in far away areas even though there is satellite web now. )
I am not some person who thinks they are high and mighty, considering my parents started dirt poor and worked hard and it is why I can enjoy using my web and other goodies. I will not forget that and keep going strong.
Today many people want something for nothing and it is what is making the world go sour.

So many heartless people round here. Talk about not having compassion.

I don't think people are being heartless at all. Granted it is what you think but I think I would not like it at all either.

My reasoning is people should be self sufficient and work hard for they things they need or want. While I live in the US if I did not have Internet, we could easily go to a public library or go to my school and use their computers/wifi connections. There is always an option but some people choose to not use it. (does not count towards people who cant even get access to it in far away areas even though there is satellite web now. )
I am not some person who thinks they are high and mighty, considering my parents started dirt poor and worked hard and it is why I can enjoy using my web and other goodies. I will not forget that and keep going strong.
Today many people want something for nothing and it is what is making the world go sour.

Very well said.

I think that's what differentiates people like yourselves from the few good people in life. Sad isn't it!

 

[johnwillyums]

I note that Gordon Brown is giving £30 million to Sir Tim Berners-Lee ( the Brit who invented the World Wide Web) to set up some kind of complicated British IT support group for guidance etc on how to ensure he stays in at the next election

I don't understand smsff7 and product FRED. Would you really rather have free broadband than free healthcare?
That just makes no sense at all to me