Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Bowdon]

UK National Infrastructure Delivery Plan – Nothing New for Broadband

The Government has today re-announced published their ‘New National Infrastructure Delivery Plan‘, which highlights a commitment to invest over £100bn into UK infrastructure by 2020-21 (transport, housing, digital comms, energy etc.). But there’s not much new for broadband Internet connectivity.

We had been hoping that the final plan might produce at least a little more detail on some of the Government’s new broadband proposals, such as the Broadband Investment Fund that is designed to help alternative network providers to secure funding to build out their infrastructure.

[kitz]

just £986m for “Broadband” (details), which is probably reflecting the national Broadband Delivery UK programme spend (seems about the same level) and excludes contributions from local authorities, EU and private sector partners (e.g. BT).

On the other hand the £986m figure is presented without clarification and appears to be split between £557m in 2016/17 and £428m in 2017/18, which suggests that it may not be BDUK

Then Mark later adds this

We’re informed by HM Treasury that the £986m figure is actually private investment and reflects Virgin Media’s project lightning deployment (cable network expansion to an extra 4 million premises).

So that would be a bit fat zilch for broadband then

[Chrysalis]

Given the cuts been made by this government, I am sorry to say this would be a lower priority than things like nhs funding, and giving councils money for carers etc.  We have to put these kind of things into perspective.

The decision was made by ofcom to let BT show they can progress from their own will, and this will be a way for them to show they can move things along without more subsidies.