Millions of low income households are overpaying for their broadband, says Ofcom April 24, 2023 More than half of low-income homes who qualify for cheaper broadband tariffs are missing out on the deals, according to the UK communications regulator. Only 220,000 households were on a social tariffs as of February 2023, meanwhile 53 per cent of people receiving benefit payments were completely unaware of cheaper deals, Ofcom revealed in a [...]
Whatsapp and Signal warn UK bill could open door to ‘indiscriminate surveillance’ April 18, 2023 Encrypted messaging apps, including Whatsapp, Signal and Viber, have warned that the Online Safety Bill could lead to “indiscriminate surveillance” of people’s personal messages and called for end-to-end encryption to be protected at all costs. The bill is intended to protect underage users on the internet by clamping down on illegal material and placing a [...]
Amazon’s $1.7bn bid for iRobot faces questions from UK’s competition agency April 6, 2023 The UK’s competition regulator has launched an investigation into Amazon’s proposed $1.7bn acquisition of the Roomba manufacturer, iRobot. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced today that it will investigate whether the merger will result in “substantial lessening of competition” in the UK market. Amazon and iRobot announced the merger back in August 2022. The [...]
John Lewis’ partnership model put it on a pedestal, now it joins the rest of us April 6, 2023 John Lewis has had an easy ride because its almost mythical shared ownership structure, as it looks to dilute it, it joins every other businesses in Britain in facing a hostile environment.
Under a cloud: Dominance of Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure questioned as Ofcom considers CMA referral April 5, 2023 Ofcom has proposed referring UK cloud services to the competition regulator, citing concerns that key players Amazon and Microsoft could stifle competition. The communications regulator said it has proposed referring the sector to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after it identified features which make it harder for customers to switch or use multiple providers. [...]
Broadband, mobile bills and council tax rises threaten ‘awful April’ for householders already facing cost of living crisis March 31, 2023 Households battling the cost of living crisis are facing an onslaught of price hikes that could leave the average family hundreds of pounds a year worse off. From April 1, millions of people will face increases to their broadband, mobile, water and council tax bills. Most local authorities are putting up council tax by 5 [...]
Broadband firms urged to cancel ‘exorbitant’ mid-contract price hikes for vulnerable customers March 21, 2023 Broadband firms have been urged to cancel “exorbitant” mid-contract price rises for vulnerable customers less than two weeks before they are due to take effect. Millions of broadband and mobile phone customers can expect to face monthly bill increases of at least 14 per cent from April. Providers often link their annual price rises to [...]
FTSE 100 live: London index joins European markets to close in the red as jitters over Credit Suisse contagion continue March 17, 2023 A dramatic week for European markets has ended on a low, with a number of interventions from global banks failing to calm the nerves of jittery investors. London’s FTSE 100 closed firmly in the red despite seeing gains in early trading on Friday. It followed a group of US banking giants injecting 30 billion US [...]
Royal Mail referred to Ofcom after claims boss ‘misled’ MPs over tracking of staff March 17, 2023 MPs have urged regulator Ofcom to launch an enforcement investigation into Royal Mail after claiming they were “misled” by the CEO’s evidence over the tracking of staff in parliament last month. Concerns over digitally tracking productivity, “systemically” failing in its legal duty to deliver letters six days a week and issues of sick pay being [...]
GB News losses hit £30m in first year on air March 9, 2023 British broadcaster GB News has amassed losses of more than £30m in its first full year on the air, after investing in numerous presenters including Eamonn Holmes and Nigel Farage. Figures from the news channel’s company accounts showed that it sunk deeper into a loss in the year to May 2022, after launching the channel [...]