By 2020, all U.K. citizens will have a legal right to access internet with a minimum speed of 10Mbps. (Photo: barnimages.com/Flickr/cc)
Dec 20, 2017
While last week the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rolled back net neutrality rules that allowed the internet to be regulated as a public utility, the United Kingdom announced Wednesday that by 2020, high-speed internet will be a legal right for all British households and businesses.
Rejecting an offer from the British communications company BT to voluntarily provide universal broadband access and improve speeds in rural regions on their own timeline, the U.K. Department of Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport has adopted a universal service obligation (USO) stipulating that by 2020, speeds of at least 10Mbps--or what's "needed to meet the requirements of an average family"--must be available nationwide.
The department told the Guardian that officials felt BT's proposal was not "strong enough for us to take the regulatory USO off the table, and have therefore decided not to pursue BT's proposal, in favor of providing a legal right to broadband."
"We are grateful to BT for their proposal but have decided that only a regulatory approach will make high speed broadband a reality for everyone in the U.K., regardless of where they live or work," said Culture Secretary Karen Bradley. "We know how important broadband is to homes and businesses and we want everyone to benefit from a fast and reliable connection."
In a statement, the department outlines the consumer benefits to a regulatory approach:
- the minimum speed of connection can be increased over time as consumers' connectivity requirements evolve;
- it provides for greater enforcement to help ensure households and businesses do get connected;
- the scheme will maximize the provision of fixed line connections in the hardest to reach areas;
- [and it] places a legal requirement for high speed broadband to be provided to anyone requesting it, subject to a cost threshold (in the same way the universal service right to a landline telephone works).
Digital Minister Matt Hancock explained on BBC Radio 4 that the right to access high-speed internet does not mean it will be delivered automatically to all households, but rather that "it's about having the right to demand it," so "if you don't go on the internet and aren't interested then you won't phone up and demand this."
The decision comes less than a week after a report from Ofcom, the U.K.'s communications regulator, revealed that four percent of homes, or over a million households, do not have access to broadband speeds of at least 10Mbps. The report showed that speeds were notably worse in rural areas.
While the U.K. is now on a path to provide all residents with access to high-speed internet over the new few years, last week federal regulators in the United States voted to terminate rules that barred internet service providers (ISPs) from creating "fast lanes," and slowing or blocking access to certain websites.
As news of the U.K. decision broke Wednesday, advocates for net neutrality started comparing the two governments' priorities, with not only internet access, but also topics including healthcare and transportation:
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Our Summer Campaign is now underway, and there’s never been a more urgent time for Common Dreams to be as vigilant as possible. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
While last week the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rolled back net neutrality rules that allowed the internet to be regulated as a public utility, the United Kingdom announced Wednesday that by 2020, high-speed internet will be a legal right for all British households and businesses.
Rejecting an offer from the British communications company BT to voluntarily provide universal broadband access and improve speeds in rural regions on their own timeline, the U.K. Department of Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport has adopted a universal service obligation (USO) stipulating that by 2020, speeds of at least 10Mbps--or what's "needed to meet the requirements of an average family"--must be available nationwide.
The department told the Guardian that officials felt BT's proposal was not "strong enough for us to take the regulatory USO off the table, and have therefore decided not to pursue BT's proposal, in favor of providing a legal right to broadband."
"We are grateful to BT for their proposal but have decided that only a regulatory approach will make high speed broadband a reality for everyone in the U.K., regardless of where they live or work," said Culture Secretary Karen Bradley. "We know how important broadband is to homes and businesses and we want everyone to benefit from a fast and reliable connection."
In a statement, the department outlines the consumer benefits to a regulatory approach:
- the minimum speed of connection can be increased over time as consumers' connectivity requirements evolve;
- it provides for greater enforcement to help ensure households and businesses do get connected;
- the scheme will maximize the provision of fixed line connections in the hardest to reach areas;
- [and it] places a legal requirement for high speed broadband to be provided to anyone requesting it, subject to a cost threshold (in the same way the universal service right to a landline telephone works).
Digital Minister Matt Hancock explained on BBC Radio 4 that the right to access high-speed internet does not mean it will be delivered automatically to all households, but rather that "it's about having the right to demand it," so "if you don't go on the internet and aren't interested then you won't phone up and demand this."
The decision comes less than a week after a report from Ofcom, the U.K.'s communications regulator, revealed that four percent of homes, or over a million households, do not have access to broadband speeds of at least 10Mbps. The report showed that speeds were notably worse in rural areas.
While the U.K. is now on a path to provide all residents with access to high-speed internet over the new few years, last week federal regulators in the United States voted to terminate rules that barred internet service providers (ISPs) from creating "fast lanes," and slowing or blocking access to certain websites.
As news of the U.K. decision broke Wednesday, advocates for net neutrality started comparing the two governments' priorities, with not only internet access, but also topics including healthcare and transportation:
While last week the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rolled back net neutrality rules that allowed the internet to be regulated as a public utility, the United Kingdom announced Wednesday that by 2020, high-speed internet will be a legal right for all British households and businesses.
Rejecting an offer from the British communications company BT to voluntarily provide universal broadband access and improve speeds in rural regions on their own timeline, the U.K. Department of Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport has adopted a universal service obligation (USO) stipulating that by 2020, speeds of at least 10Mbps--or what's "needed to meet the requirements of an average family"--must be available nationwide.
The department told the Guardian that officials felt BT's proposal was not "strong enough for us to take the regulatory USO off the table, and have therefore decided not to pursue BT's proposal, in favor of providing a legal right to broadband."
"We are grateful to BT for their proposal but have decided that only a regulatory approach will make high speed broadband a reality for everyone in the U.K., regardless of where they live or work," said Culture Secretary Karen Bradley. "We know how important broadband is to homes and businesses and we want everyone to benefit from a fast and reliable connection."
In a statement, the department outlines the consumer benefits to a regulatory approach:
- the minimum speed of connection can be increased over time as consumers' connectivity requirements evolve;
- it provides for greater enforcement to help ensure households and businesses do get connected;
- the scheme will maximize the provision of fixed line connections in the hardest to reach areas;
- [and it] places a legal requirement for high speed broadband to be provided to anyone requesting it, subject to a cost threshold (in the same way the universal service right to a landline telephone works).
Digital Minister Matt Hancock explained on BBC Radio 4 that the right to access high-speed internet does not mean it will be delivered automatically to all households, but rather that "it's about having the right to demand it," so "if you don't go on the internet and aren't interested then you won't phone up and demand this."
The decision comes less than a week after a report from Ofcom, the U.K.'s communications regulator, revealed that four percent of homes, or over a million households, do not have access to broadband speeds of at least 10Mbps. The report showed that speeds were notably worse in rural areas.
While the U.K. is now on a path to provide all residents with access to high-speed internet over the new few years, last week federal regulators in the United States voted to terminate rules that barred internet service providers (ISPs) from creating "fast lanes," and slowing or blocking access to certain websites.
As news of the U.K. decision broke Wednesday, advocates for net neutrality started comparing the two governments' priorities, with not only internet access, but also topics including healthcare and transportation:
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.