Openreach to deliver fibre to 3.2m extra homes as it slams government inaction July 29, 2020 BT’s infrastructure arm Openreach has pledged to extend its fibre service to 3.2m extra homes by 2025, as it said the government was “running out of time” to meet its connectivity targets. Openreach today unveiled plans to bring full-fibre broadband to the UK’s “hard-to-reach” areas, as part of BT’s £12bn plan to connect more than [...]
UK broadband customers to save £270m following Ofcom review July 28, 2020 Broadband customers who choose not to sign up to contract deals are set to make total savings of £270m each year from pricing changes following a new Ofcom review. A report released today by telecoms watchdog Ofcom found that broadband companies are failing to protect customers from high out-of-contract prices, in a move that is [...]
Phone masts as tall as Nelson’s Column will be allowed under new guidelines to speed up 5G rollout July 23, 2020 Mobile phone masts as tall as Nelson’s Column will be allowed without full planning permission, as the government last night ripped up guidelines in an effort to speed up the UK rollout of 5G and eliminate connectivity “not spots”. MPs yesterday scrapped rules requiring phone masts higher than 25 metres, or 20 metres in national [...]
Ofcom orders TV, phone and internet providers to stop preying on vulnerable customers July 23, 2020 Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has ordered phone, broadband and pay-TV companies to stop threatening to disconnect vulnerable customers struggling to pay their bills amid financial uncertainty during the coronavirus pandemic. In new guidance issued this morning, Ofcom said the coronavirus pandemic has increased the likelihood of customers’ circumstances changing suddenly, making it more likely some customers [...]
Royal Mail parcel deliveries surge 38 per cent in lockdown July 21, 2020 Royal Mail parcel deliveries surged 38 per cent during the coronavirus lockdown as more consumers shopped online. The postal service said that between 30 March and 28 June, it shipped 117m more parcels than this time last year as Brits shopped online after being told to stay at home. Royal Mail said today that customer [...]
MPs criticise government for slow coronavirus misinformation response July 21, 2020 MPs have lashed out at the government over its failure to respond to concerns regarding online harms during the coronavirus pandemic, calling for legislation to be introduced as a matter of urgency. Members of the Digital, Cultural, Media and Sport select committee published a report today in which they pushed the government to name the [...]
Ofcom fines Royal Mail £1.5m for missing delivery target July 10, 2020 Ofcom today fined Royal Mail £1.5m for failing to meet its regulatory first-class delivery target in 2018. The company is required by Ofcom to deliver at least 93 per cnet of its first-class post within one working day, but it fell to 91.5 per cent in 2018/19. The regulator said the postal service failed to [...]
Competition watchdog pressures government to take on tech giants July 1, 2020 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said existing UK laws are not suitable for effective regulation, calling on the government to overhaul its structure so it can better tackle tech market dominance. The watchdog said it needs more support to govern the behaviour of “major platforms funded by digital advertising, like Google and Facebook”, [...]
Lords urge government to take immediate action against online misinformation June 29, 2020 Ministers have been urged to beef up regulation of digital and social media to stub out a “pandemic of misinformation and disinformation” that is destroying public trust and leveraging power to big tech companies. A new report by the Lords Democracy and Digital Technologies Committee, chaired by Labour peer and film director David Puttnam, proposes [...]
Children’s exposure to TV adverts halves over last decade amid rise of streaming May 22, 2020 Children’s exposure to TV adverts has almost halved in the last decade as young people increasingly tune in to streaming services. Children aged four to 15 saw an average of 115.9 ads per week last year, down more than 47 per cent compared to 2008, according to new figures from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). [...]