UPD AAISP UK Slap Fluidata and O2 Wholesale for Network Congestion

UPD AAISP UK Slap Fluidata and O2 Wholesale for Network Congestion - ISPreview UK: "O2 have joined BE in warning super-heavy users about their usage and threatening disconnection if they refuse to change. It’s perhaps preferable for them to remove a few consumers than to lose whole ISPs as clients from their wholesale division." 'via Blog this'

Broadband Stakeholder Group crystal ball gazing for 2015

This is the policy lead that we have to accept as state-of-the-art bland whitewashing: "UK is unlikely to lead the league tables in FTTH provision.   For wireless services, other countries have had a head-start on the UK for 4G...  Rural availability of LTE is more difficult still to predict... Assessing speeds on mobile services is more difficult to measure.  Ofcom’s initial work in 2010 suggested that users using datacards and dongles achieved  an average speed of 2.1Mbps... In terms of what this means comparatively, this is incredibly difficult to benchmark given the lack of robust data that allows one to compare like for like across Europe...provision to a level of 30Mbps within the last 10% does provoke some operational challenges. UK will feature less strongly on the issues of: Coverage of FTTH infrastructure; Speed (depending on how this is benchmarked); Achieving 50% take-up of 100Mbps services (though the UK is unlikely to be
alone in Europe in this respect)." So they basically think broadband is slow in the UK on both fixed and mobile comparisons and it will remain slow...but cheap. They also have this choice morsel: "BSG will continue to house the UK debate on net neutrality further to its work in 2011 and 2012 on codes of practice for traffic management transparency." I think they mean Ed Vaizey's Sunday phone call to Tim Berners-Lee established that the telecoms industry has no interest in net neutrality at all?

Corporate tie binds US to a slow internet (not via MSNBC...)

Corporate tie binds US to a slow internet - FT.com (subscription): "The average US cost for 1Mb/s is $1.10 compared with $0.42 in the UK, $0.34 in France and $0.21 in South Korea. It is not only places such as Hong Kong that put the US into the shade. Countries such as Estonia, Portugal and Hungary offer a significantly better internet service. South Koreans joke that when they visit the US they are taking an internet vacation. Yet bringing the US up to speed appears to be low on Mr Obama’s list of priorities (it did not even get a mention in his State of the Union address last month). The story of Comcast’s ascent helps explain why. So too does its relationships with politicians across the spectrum." 'via Blog this'

UK ISP Virgin Media Shifts its Window for Broadband Traffic Management

UK ISP Virgin Media Shifts its Window for Broadband Traffic Management - ISPreview UK: "“This is mainly due to people watching TV and streaming content over the internet instead of shutting down their PC and watching TV before they head off to bed. So because of this we need to move our evening traffic management window to when people are now using the internet. Ensuring that your peak time experience is protected from the impact of people who max out their connection 24/7. So we’re changing the evening window for downstream traffic from 16:00-21:00 to 17:00-22:00.”" 'via Blog this'

Neelie Kroes: Your EU rights as a telecoms user - but no mention of net neutrality...

Neelie Kroes blog - Your EU rights as a telecoms user - European Commission: "A few years ago the EU agreed a package of measures for the EU telecoms market. Those delivered important new rules and rights for people who use landlines, mobiles and the Internet – and that means you! As is usual for such measures, those needed to be put into national law by governments before taking effect. And now, the remaining few national governments have confirmed to the Commission that they have done this – meaning these new laws would now apply throughout the EU." Of course it was the old E.Parliament, Council and Commissioner Kroes' predecessor who actually decided this, but it's finally ground into national law....'via Blog this'

'Net neutrality' hardcover half-price ONE DAY ONLY

I don't usually plug books on the site, but as this is the blog of that book, this is an exception. You can buy the hardcover for £30 today only - and a handsome book it is too. We hope the next edition (slated for 2015) will be paperback (not free PDF!) and e-book friendly...

What Does Netflix’s Decision to Block Internet Content Tell Us About Internet Policy?

What Does Netflix’s Decision to Block Internet Content Tell Us About Internet Policy?: "The initial principles and the FCC’s assertions have led many to believe its net neutrality rules are intended to promote consumer choice. Prominent net neutrality proponents “believe consumers, not corporations, should be in the driver’s seat to pick the content they view . . . over the Internet.” I expect they would be surprised to learn that the FCC’s net neutrality rules eliminated the consumer focus of the net neutrality principles as well as the stated right to competition among application, service, and content providers. The FCC decided that, “insofar as these rules translate existing [FCC] principles into codified rules, it is appropriate to limit the application of the rules to broadband Internet access service.”" Not exactly the European position, but provocative analysis of Googlisation of US policy in the field...'via Blog this'

P-000430/2013 Answer given by Ms Kroes on behalf of the Commission (12.2.2013)

"The Commission is committed to maintaining the open and neutral character of the Internet and is convinced that a common EU approach on net neutrality issues is necessary to provide regulatory certainty for citizens, operators and all other stakeholders. The traffic management investigation undertaken by BEREC (the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications) and the Commission's public consultation "on specific aspects of transparency, traffic management and switching in an Open Internet" have provided evidence to define and address the issues at stake. "NRA's (sic) have all the necessary powers of implementation under the existing legislation on electronic communication services [Ed: despite her resistance to Netherlands' proactive approach]. 

"The Commission is currently working on recommendations which will foster a common European approach to net neutrality. It will aim at empowering end-users to make informed choices and will include guidance on transparency, switching and the responsible use of traffic management tools. In particular, the Commission envisages that every ISP should offer a full, best efforts internet access product to its clients" in addition to their 'sub-Internet' offers which she is discussing/encouraging?

Neelie Kroes says EU budget cut leaves no cash for broadband networks

Neelie Kroes says EU budget cut leaves no cash for broadband networks: "Last week's all-night talks between Europe's leaders culminated in a deal that will see the EU's overall budget for 2014-2020 cut by €34 billion, a move that had a knock-on effect on the telecoms and technology space.
Originally, €50 billion was allocated to the CEF, of which €9.2 billion was set aside for broadband and digital services. Now though the CEF has been cut to €29.3 billion, with just €1 billion earmarked for broadband and digital services.
"This funding will have to be exclusively for digital services," said Kroes, in a blog post on Saturday. "Such a smaller sum does not leave room for investing in broadband networks."" 'via Blog this'

BT pushes government for £1billion matching funding to expand FTTC to 90% of UK

BT Confirm the Final 99 UK Locations for its Superfast Broadband Rollout - ISPreview UK: "BT claims that it could expand the reach of its superfast broadband (FTTC/P) services to 90% of the United Kingdom, although to do so would require them to win the lion’s share of the government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) budget (worth around £1bn). This now looks inevitable and BT has already set aside a further £1bn of its own money to match-fund with any public investment." 'via Blog this'

ISP BE Face Unlimited Questions After User Cut Off for Overuse

ISP BE Broadband Face Unlimited Questions After User Cut Off for Overuse - ISPreview UK: "Internet provider BE Broadband (O2 UK) could face questions from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after a customer on their “unlimited” use package(s) was, without warning, allegedly given just 14 days to find a new provider after the ISP terminated their service due to “excessive” usage." Unlimited irony? 'via Blog this'