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[gt94sss2]

The Government has announced it plans to introduce a broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) with the ambition to give people the legal right to request a connection to broadband with speeds of 10 Mbps by 2020.

Official announcement/press release: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-plans-to-make-sure-no-one-is-left-behind-on-broadband-access

[AArdvark]

Nice idea but I cannot see BT agreeing to it unless WE pay *more* money to them to fund the infrastructure changes need to supply this.
(Even then I would not hold my breath on this arriving by 2020.)

Weaver you may be able to get 30Meg by 2020, god knows what it will be costing you by then!! 

Sounds like BDUK part 2 or is it 3. !!

Also 10Meg is not that good if we are going to be paying yet again. !!
Once again the argument is if you are going to spend yet more money for gods sake swallow the pill and go for the All-Fibre option and not XG.fast (yet another technology to push copper further) or whatever the flavour of the month is at the time to push copper's lifespan.
[See NBN Article for more on XG.fast http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/10/26/its_almost_time_for_australias_fibretothepremises_fetishists_to_give_up/]

Black Sheep, you can shoot me down now!!  [Tin hat on]

[gt94sss2]

Nice idea but I cannot see BT agreeing to it unless WE pay *more* money to them to fund the infrastructure changes need to supply this.

In September, BT said they would support a UK USO between 5-10Mbps

The question which remains to be answered is would the entire burden fall on Openreach (and KC) or would other providers like Virgin etc, get a look in and be forced to contribute financially as well?(and if there are any other rules, i.e. contention or minimum upload speeds as well)

[Weaver]

Weaver finds the 2020 thing very difficult to believe. It's just a myth, made possible I assume either by saying

(1) there's always satellite. Well no, you aren't actually _connected_ to anything other than metaphorically when you are using satellite. Something that is automatically available across the whole of the country doesn't really count as any kind of government "wherever you live" achievement in any recognisable sense.

or

(2) if if you can get it it has to be good. So basically if a service provider can't give you something good it simply refuse see to give you any service at all, problem solved.

It's not even true that there's a "uso" type of obligation in respect of power or water as mentioned in the government blurb. Loads of places don't have mains electricity. I don't have mains water.

[NewtronStar]

Has the £1 Billion pounds already been spent by Openreach ?

A quote from BBC News "The government has already given BT £1bn to extend broadband to some rural areas, although its record has been criticised"

[Weaver]

So putting things "on a similar footing as other basic services like water and electricity" would mean having no comms at all.

This government is supposed to be running this country. Have they ever _been_ there? They don't seem to know anything about it.

[AArdvark]

Nice idea but I cannot see BT agreeing to it unless WE pay *more* money to them to fund the infrastructure changes need to supply this.

In September, BT said they would support a UK USO between 5-10Mbps

The question which remains to be answered is would the entire burden fall on Openreach (and KC) or would other providers like Virgin etc, get a look in and be forced to contribute financially as well?(and if there are any other rules, i.e. contention or minimum upload speeds as well)

The release states the following:
Aim for a new universal minimum broadband speed of 5 -10 Megabits per second (Mbps) for every home and business, subject to regulatory support


Aim means that it is possible to 'miss' for some homes and Businesses.
5 - 10 is NOT 10 so yet more possible misses.

So I think the question you posited is one of many yet to be answered, which brings us back to the original question of paying to hit the 10 Mbps target as a minimum. 

[AArdvark]

This government is supposed to be running this country. Have they ever _been_ there? They don't seem to know anything about it.

I have wondered this ! 
They are obviously working from the Standard Manual they were given by the Civil Service, just in case. 
(Many in the Civil Service will be using it as well, for the same reasons, I would imagine.  )

[ejs]

a legal right to request a 10 Mbps connection

So, you'll have the right to request a 10 Mbps connection. That doesn't mean anyone will actually have to give you a 10 Mbps connection, but you'll be able to ask for one.

[AArdvark]

@ejs

Missed that one!! 

[renluop]

We'll give it you but
we have or get-outs to hand.

Well, that's how it could be read and some may take it, even though we know differently.

[Weaver]

@ejs quite agree. like the Life of Brian.

[Weaver]

@Aardvark very good point. I might decide that I don't need as many lines.

[Mind you, I've found it to be fantastic having several lines, really important for reliability. It's just superb the way you can seamlessly take down one line temporarily (obviously aside from the proportionate speed reduction). It just immediately takes the dead line out of the set, as detected by PPP LCP ‘pinging’, and redirects the traffic to the other lines instantly, with TCP covering up any ‘gaps’, if you like. The fact that all the lines I have are BT, with no LLU lines of a diverse mix, seems to be irrelevant, the service seems 100%. Although clearly a mix of lines from different providers would be the ultimate in reliability; AA suggest having a BT line and a TalkTalk Business line (very good).]

Who knows, by 2020, if anything at all has changed around here, I might find that BT changes its mind and will become willing to make more profit by selling me the other two lines I asked for (total of five lines) without an incentive payment of -£2k.

I don't know who is the SPO (sales prevention officer) for BTW. Quite a few companies have them.

I do find it incredible that BT should ask me to pay for kit that I won't own (BT will own it) but will charge me for the use of. Mind boggling. <parable>My neighbour wants to operate a taxi. This will earn him money. He wants me to buy the taxi for him and he will then own it and be able to earn money out of charging me and other people for the use of it. Obviously, if I should decide I don't want to use the taxi in future I won't get back the lump sum I paid out originally.</parable> just tell me at what point who went completely bonkers: me, or them, or both.

[AArdvark]

@Weaver
I hate to tell you but the answer is 'Both'. 

BT for asking for £2K and you for being surprised !!  [Ducks & runs]

The SPO is usually a 'temporary' member of the Sales/Marketing Team. 
How temporary is usually a function of how many sales are lost and how loudly the 'Soon to be Ex-Customers' complain. 
Some Companies, usually large ones, can take a long time to react to the 'success' of the SPO, some seem not to care; these are the ones that seem to make sales just for existing somehow.

[Working with too many Sales People rubs off on you. 
Not all is bad but that is what you tend to remember other than the 'Really Big Sales' which are oft celebrated with large amounts of liquid libation, I have been told.    ]

[Weaver]

@aardvak Thank you. Much respect to you.