At last! Broadband for all in the UK.

[Tarka Dal]

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

Well said J Willyums
I'm a conservative but that is nuts...

 

[Joan Archer]

Careful boys or this thread will end up breaking the forum rules, discussing politics isn't allowed.

 

[Kari]

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

In this thread you find several Americans complaining about a slow connection and the lack of alternatives.

OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) statistics* from last summer shows USA with 26.7% is only 15th when measured broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants.

United Kingdom 'beats' USA being on 13th place with 28.9%. Even my tiny native Finland (9th, 29.7%) and adopted home country Germany (11th, 29.3%) beat USA.

Kari

* = see XLS-sheet 1d

 

[zezasu]

From Previous post cut it out takes up much space

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

So that makes me bad? since It is what makes me different from the good people? Just trying to understand or If I am reading it wrong.

 

[CarlTR6]

zezasu, don't take the bait; it's not worth it.

 

[RST101]

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.

Good on you for having your own opinion and your own emotions I'd rather show I had a heart of flesh and blood and not one chiselled in stone but we all different.

And are you sure it's not power, greed and the corrupt that make this world sour?

 

[z3r010]

Look at it this way:-

You take your car to the petrol station, you put £50 worth of fuel in your car but when you come to pay the assistant says you must pay a £5 surcharge to pay some of the cost of the guy on pump 2's fuel as he lives further away from the petrol station than you.

Is that fair? No, and neither is the broadband tax.

 

[RST101]

Sorry I was off topic with my reply really but just responding to a couple of posts in this tread who were opposed to the healthcare bill in usa.

As for paying someone else's bill well I kinda agree with you but I also think circumstance play's a role too.

 

[johnwillyums]

As I said before I just think this has very little to do with computers on poor people's tables and free broadband for the masses.
It's all about economics and politics. A fiscal stimulus for Britain's IT & Telecoms businesses and improving Britain's perception as a nation "on the net" and ready for business.
It's not party political either. The other parties have said they would do similar things.
It makes good economic sense because it's very much cheaper than helping out major manufacturing industries and we can get some EU money for it making it even cheaper.
Plus the perceived payback in terms of the way internal and international business' view Britain is potentially good for such a small amount spent.

Also, at the end of the day this is a direct tax.
They have tried to make it more positive and perhaps more acceptable by tying it in with computers etc, making it sexy.
If they just said we're putting tax up by 50p people would complain. As far as I'm aware this is not "ring fenced" for IT so it could be used for any other thing the government wants at a later date.

Incidently when we're in the petrol station putting £50 of fuel in our cars a majority of that £50 is tax.
That's spent on a zillion things a lot of which neither of us would agree with.
If there's another guy on mobility allowance in there we might not just be filling his car up for him.
You and me (and others) might have bought him the car in the first place

 

[raccoon19]

I would not trust the government or any part of it with our money. They will take the 50 pence and I will say that less than half will go to sorting out the broadband for all question.
Form a start, how will they give it out, who will get money from that fund, how much will they get,
Think its another rip off myself.

 

[johnwillyums]

Well, sadly we'll have to agree to differ chaps.
As I've already said, this initiative around "broadband for all" is, imho, a mixture of fiscal stimulus and electioneering gimick.
However, I'm not against the general principle if the country can afford it.

I have grown up in a country, which like the rest of the industrialized world bar USA, has universal healthcare. I literally would not be here as I had TB as a kid and my folks were poor.
Consequently it's difficult to comprehend a massive nation like the USA where in 2006 46 million people had no healthcare! The US spends more on healthcare than any other nation. Yet the infant mortality rate in Detroit is 15.5 whereas it's 9.7 in El Salvador.
I think I'm lucky to have a job and to be able to afford luxuries like a nice computer and a broadband connection.
If I get ill and have to stop work the broadband may have to go but I'll still get "free" healthcare at the point of need.

 

[smsff7]

Well, sadly we'll have to agree to differ chaps.
As I've already said, this initiative around "broadband for all" is, imho, a mixture of fiscal stimulus and electioneering gimick.
However, I'm not against the general principle if the country can afford it.

I have grown up in a country, which like the rest of the industrialized world bar USA, has universal healthcare. I literally would not be here as I had TB as a kid and my folks were poor.
Consequently it's difficult to comprehend a massive nation like the USA where in 2006 46 million people had no healthcare! The US spends more on healthcare than any other nation. Yet the infant mortality rate in Detroit is 15.5 whereas it's 9.7 in El Salvador.
I think I'm lucky to have a job and to be able to afford luxuries like a nice computer and a broadband connection.
If I get ill and have to stop work the broadband may have to go but I'll still get "free" healthcare at the point of need.

Health premiums could rise 17 pct for young adults - Yahoo! News

Beginning in 2014, most Americans will be required to buy insurance or pay a tax penalty.

so free for some, but more expensive for others


http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/wew/articles/10/IsHealthCareARight.htm

 

[Luckystar]

To be honest, how do we really know this '50p Broadband Tax' is really that. I personally think that this is another con to get money out of us tax payers to clear up their pissing mess, sorry for the outburst. I mean hello, how is the Goverment affording all they do. That's right, they can't, so they are not only printing money as when they feel like and moreover, the tax hikes.

Bring on the elections, goodbye Brown. I hardly wanted to know ye

 

[mitchell65]

Steady now, we are getting close to party politics here!
We are all going to get fed up with the electioneering on and in the media, lets not sink to a level where we start it here!

 

[raccoon19]

I dont believe that the whole of the 50p will go into the structure of the broadband for all. I firmly believe the government will get a peice of it first. Then how will they divide it out after that. Who will get the money. Arguments that one company is getting more and will become dominant will fly all over.
As usual this government sees the british people as THIER PIGGY BANK. Will they give more to a company that is small so it can upgrade faster, or will it give it to the one over in Humberside to get it to join with BT.
When "The Government" have finnished taking what it wants there will not be much left anyway.

 

[johnwillyums]

"Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss"

Pete Townshend

Agreed, whoever wins the forthcoming election "they" will still run the show.

 

[severedsolo]

taking this back on topic again, "Call me Dave" Cameron has promised to scrap the tax if its passed before his government is elected, sorry if their elected, ill post the link as soon as i find it again

 

[z3r010]

Well it's highly doubtful that this tax will get passed on Tuesday morning, so there is a good chance that it's pretty much dead in the water

 

[severedsolo]

why tuesday morning?

 

[z3r010]

The election should be called on Tuesday afternoon, after that they will all be too busy smearing each other to pass anything on the last days before parliament is dissolved.