Digital Britain my foot.

[Dave B]

Yesterday the government released their long-awaited report into the future of media and communications in the UK, and I have to say it was pretty depressing reading. The main proposals are:

A 50p per month tax on phone lines to pay for better rural broadband access, with the aim of 2Mbps broadband for all. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jun/16/digital-britain-landline-users-broadband-tax) When BT was privatised they did nothing to expand the network, even when the profits were rolling in at an embarassing level. Now that times are tough, the public is expected to pay (once again) to rectify the failures of private companies.

The idea that 2Mbps is an aspirational service is pathetic, we should be looking at a fast fibre network as an investment in the same way the Victorians regarded the sewers or the railways. A sensible investment now would reap benefits for decades to come, whereas a 2M service will be outdated before it's finished.

Digital Radio switchover by 2015 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jun/16/digital-britain-analogue-radio-switchoff). National and many local FM services would be switched off, meaning that millions of FM radios would be redundant. Now, DAB has been a failure, with pathetic sound quality and poor sales of receivers. Indeed, it's already old technology, with DAB+ already the standard in many counties. It was relatively easy to switch to digital TV, with cheap and plentiful set-top boxes, but how to I adapt the dozen or so radios in my house and cars?

Filesharing to be cut by 70% (http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jun/16/filesharing-digital-britain). Impossible to measure, as nobody knows the true extent of activity at the moment. It will fall to ISPs to police this, raising questions as to how they know whether the packet I'm downloading is a completely legal open-source application or a pirate copy of an album. Deep packet inspection is illegal under RIPA, so unless there's a change in that law the ISPs will be reduced to guesswork. Add to this that the only remedy at the moment is to refer "illegal" fire sharers to the rights holder who has the option of suing through the civil courts - an expensive process with no guarantee of success. Even if a record company could prove beyond doubt that my IP address downloaded their album, they'd have to prove it was me and not someone else with access to my connection. This is such a short-sighted policy which does nothing to address why people download.

The licence fee to be used to help fund ITV local news (http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jun/16/digital-britain-bbc-licence-fee1). Why? ITV are a dinosaur who are destined to go the same way as Woolworths because of their chronic failure to adapt to the modern era. They plead poverty in the same week they announce a £1.2M p.a. deal for Cheryl Cole (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/2479864/Cheryl-Cole-nets-12m-for-X-Factor.html), on a programme which spectaularly failed to monetise the populatity of Susan Boyle. They've shelved long-tail dramas which might actually make them money to concentrate on short term reality shows to which they don't own the rights; cut back on local news while wasting money on Friends Reunited, and now public money is going to bail them out. What happens if they start making a profit again? Would that money go towards reducing the licence fee? Don't be absurd.

In short, this was a brilliant opportunity to ensure that our broadcast and communications industry would be in rude health for decades to come, but instead its tinkering at the margins and dithering about all the important stuff. Utterly pathetic.

[Mark]

I agree 2Mbps is low. But tell that to the people who are currently on 56k and they won't think that at all! It's alright saying everyone should have 100Mbps or nothing at all, for many people, it's just going to end up as nothing at all!

The digital radio thing caught me by surprise. It's widely thought that DAB has bascially been a complete failure, and is only being propped up by the BBC as most commecial operators have deserted it. It's easy for politicians to look at TV and think the same things can be applied to radio - they cannot, it's a completely different medium.

The sound quality is not as good as FM and the reception is not as good as FM, and as you say the number of FM receivers is absolutely enormous, we're talking pretty much very car, van, and lorry in the country, not to mention those visiting from abroad. Clock radios, walkmans, mobile phones, the list is very long.

And they expect them to all be converted to digital radio? They are living in a dreamland. Plus the fact is that FM radio is already very good quality and reaches a large area and in most reception areas you have a choice of around 10 different stations, which is more than enough to be getting on with!

Any attempt to take the likes of Radio 1/2/4 off FM and put them to DAB only will see the failure of those radio stations pretty much immediately!

[MrJan]

Good rants Dave :up: You should write to the Daily Mail about it :p :

Seriously though I agree with what you are saying. BT struggle to get me 3meg broadband in a fairly built up area (supposed to be up to 8mb). Digital TV is unwatcheable when you have any amount of interferance so radio will be shocking (especially if everyone needs to spend £100 on a new headunit for the car).

I can't even be bothered to start on ITV but any station who cuts away from a tense FA Cup match in extra time should suffer serious consequences. It also doesn't help that the only stuff worth watching on ITV is football and they decide to punish viewers with the pointless ramblings of David Pleat who is like a s**tter version of Graham Taylor.

[Hazell B]

There was a guy on TV this morning saying "It's only 50p a month" and I half agreed with him at the time, but now you've mentioned the millions made in the past by BT I'm seeing the nay-sayers' point!

Anyway, the cash will end up being used elsewhere as it almost always is. They grab a 'tax' for a specific thing then it is swallowed by the general government pot to pay for other things. Look at all the green taxes that we were promised would pay for environmental issues ...... where are they now?

[Dave B]

With regard to broadband, I'm especially annoyed by ISPs during the early 21st century flogging their service on the basis that one could use it for watching movies, downloading music, and moving large files about at high speed - all for a flat fee.

Now that people have the temerity to do this, even using perfectly legal services such as YouTube or iPlayer, they've realised it's costing them money and are crying to the government for help.

Imagine how toasty warm your house would be all winter, and how warm you pool would be all summer if gas companies had used the same pricing model as ISPs.

Anyway, back to the 50p levy. I already subsidise rural phone customers. I can see the exchange from my roof, yet my connection fee and line rental is exactly the same as somebody who lives out in the sticks and needs miles of extra cabling to reach them. I have no problem with this, but it seems unreasonable that telecom companies want me to pay for their lack of investment in upgrading those lines for a useful broadband service.

[Daniel]

As for converting your car radio :)

http://www.pure.com/products/product.asp?Product=VL-60905

Works really well. I've been using ours in Carolines car for the last couple of weeks. Reception is a little patchy as I've not installed it properly (it's going in the 500 when it arrives) but it really is great as I can get a much wider variety of stations in the car and it's clearer than FM. Tis also upgradeable to DAB+

As for your other points they're very much true. Jan Yeo, how are you watching your TV if it cuts out? We used to have Sky and it got to the point where a good deal of stations were unwatchable and even strong stations would drop out in bad weather. A new dish and Sky+ box later and it works flawlessly even in high winds and when we get low cloud as well!

BT need to stop being a bunch of fools and roll fiber out to the doorstep and the government need to help too. Fiber to the cabinet is a halfarsed measure and still doesn't help with how bad copper can be. What if my copper line is utterly crap and I can only get 4mb when I should be able to get 40? :mark: Oh and are they going to upgrade the backbone networks as well? Errrr no....

[MrJan]

Jan Yeo, how are you watching your TV if it cuts out? We used to have Sky and it got to the point where a good deal of stations were unwatchable and even strong stations would drop out in bad weather. A new dish and Sky+ box later and it works flawlessly even in high winds and when we get low cloud as well!

I pretty much don't watch my TV, although we do have one in the lounge which works alright. I've taken now to watching everything on the computer, both BBC and ITV offer a live internet feed which is alright and anything else I catch on iPlayer etc. Although TBH beyond the motorsport I rarely watch anything at all :)

[Hazell B]

I can see the exchange from my roof, yet my connection fee and line rental is exactly the same as somebody who lives out in the sticks .....

Hate to point out the bleeding obvious, but you're wrong in a way. Every time you ring out, wherever to, the miles of lines are needed. Just as if somebody from out in the sticks calls you.

Not a subsidy in the same way as this new version.

[driveace]

How many on here use Skype ,like me?

[Daniel]

I've used Skype in the past.

[Mark]

Hate to point out the bleeding obvious, but you're wrong in a way. Every time you ring out, wherever to, the miles of lines are needed. Just as if somebody from out in the sticks calls you.

Not a subsidy in the same way as this new version.

That's true. But what they are talking about is the cable needed between the exchange and the home, and for IP, not voice.

Once it's at the exchange it's sent down high bandwidth firbre connections. The network for this is already well in place. I believe it's commonly referred to as the 'final mile'.

And I think I live even closer than Dave to the exchange. I'd estimate it's about 100 metres away, if they had a wifi router on the roof I'd be able to pick it up :p

[Daniel]

That's true. But what they are talking about is the cable needed between the exchange and the home, and for IP, not voice.

Once it's at the exchange it's sent down high bandwidth firbre connections. The network for this is already well in place. I believe it's commonly referred to as the 'final mile'.

And I think I live even closer than Dave to the exchange. I'd estimate it's about 100 metres away, if they had a wifi router on the roof I'd be able to pick it up :p
If WiFi actually operated at anywhere near the ranges it claims to :mark:

[GridGirl]

Surely Wi-fi is the answer all along rather than put an extra tarrif on all land line phones? We use Orange Wi-Fi in the Lake District with no trouble at all, who needs a landline and broadband anyway?

[Andrewmcm]

3G coverage isn't pervasive so not everyone can use it.

[christophulus]

In short, this was a brilliant opportunity to ensure that our broadcast and communications industry would be in rude health for decades to come, but instead its tinkering at the margins and dithering about all the important stuff. Utterly pathetic.

Never a truer word spoken.

DAB is good.. up to a point. The fatal flaw for me is that my digital radio completely cuts out when I turn on the computer sitting near it, forcing me to switch to FM. FM radio works, it has worked for years and will continue to do so. At least when the signal is weak I can make out the odd word! It'd be more sensible to move to internet radio rather than a short-term switch to DAB.

Which leads me on to 2Mbps.. pfft. We've only just got 2 meg broadband round our way, and were the last in our (built-up) area to get it at all! An investment in fibre optic cabling up to the exchanges at least is a necessity. It'd be money very well spent.

ITV getting the licence fee? No thank you! BTCC aside, I cannot think of a single programme that I watch on ITV, with four channels to choose from that says a lot. BBC regional news is perfectly serviceable, at least here in the north west, and even with soaps and dramas that I have no intention of watching, I still feel I more than get my money's worth out of the BBC. Leave it alone!

[Drew]

Who watches ITV news anyways? Does this mean they won't put adverts on during the news? Or do they get the adverts and the funding?! What about channel 4 and 5? :p :

[Daniel]

Surely Wi-fi is the answer all along rather than put an extra tarrif on all land line phones? We use Orange Wi-Fi in the Lake District with no trouble at all, who needs a landline and broadband anyway?
Wireless is crapola. It'll be a few years yet till any sort of wireless technology is able to provide a service comparable to ADSL.

Christophulus, if I'm not very much mistaken there is already fiber to the exchanges. The thing that will really speed broadband up is fiber to the roadside cabinet or to your doorstep. If that was to happen you'd still have the problems of ISP's throttling bandwidth as they are now. Some of the iPlayer speeds I get around peak usage times are woefully bad.

[airshifter]

Wireless is crapola. It'll be a few years yet till any sort of wireless technology is able to provide a service comparable to ADSL.

Christophulus, if I'm not very much mistaken there is already fiber to the exchanges. The thing that will really speed broadband up is fiber to the roadside cabinet or to your doorstep. If that was to happen you'd still have the problems of ISP's throttling bandwidth as they are now. Some of the iPlayer speeds I get around peak usage times are woefully bad.

There has been wireless technology for years that is faster than most people ever experience ADSL. I seriously doubt it will ever come down in cost to the consumer level any time soon, but the companies feeding your ADSL have been using it for years and years.

ADSL has high transfer rates in theory, fiber seems to consistently have higher rates in practice.


I'm not sure why private companies don't make it worth in other countries, but here in the US they seem to be doing a good job of making it available. We have fiber to the side of the house and can currently order up to 50 meg down and 25 meg up speeds. We're on the lower tier for internet at 10/2, and consistently actually get that speed. When we had copper we had the same throttling at peak problems that you're talking about.

[GridGirl]

Wi-Fi is great for me, especially when I'm in rural locations. I suppose it all depends on how you use the internet. I really only use the internet to come on these forums, read a few newspapers, do a bit of social networking and Wi-fi works well for all those things. I'm guessing I'd have problems with Wi-fi if I were to use the internet to watch tv, play games or download things.

Maybe the government should do more research into to what a typical internet users actually uses the internet for?

[Daniel]

Wi-Fi is great for me, especially when I'm in rural locations. I suppose it all depends on how you use the internet. I really only use the internet to come on these forums, read a few newspapers, do a bit of social networking and Wi-fi works well for all those things. I'm guessing I'd have problems with Wi-fi if I were to use the internet to watch tv, play games or download things.

Maybe the government should do more research into to what a typical internet users actually uses the internet for?
3g is great for that :)

But a good deal of people torrent, play games, download big things, what iPlayer and other video on demand services and so on which just don't work well at all with 3g.

[Mark]

Surely Wi-fi is the answer all along rather than put an extra tarrif on all land line phones? We use Orange Wi-Fi in the Lake District with no trouble at all, who needs a landline and broadband anyway?

But how many places have wifi hotspots. My experience with that is that these so called networks have hotspots which are so few and far between it's not worth subscribing unless you are going to one particular place on a very regular basis.

Now if they all got together to have one scheme which most hotspots participated in, that would be much better!

[Drew]

But how many places have wifi hotspots. My experience with that is that these so called networks have hotspots which are so few and far between it's not worth subscribing unless you are going to one particular place on a very regular basis.

Now if they all got together to have one scheme which most hotspots participated in, that would be much better!

I think gridgirl is talking about a pen drive that you just plug into your computer and you access the internet through that anywhere just over the mobile phone network.

[Mark]

I think gridgirl is talking about a pen drive that you just plug into your computer and you access the internet through that anywhere just over the mobile phone network.

Ah, that's not wifi that's 3G. (UTMS or HSDPA etc)

[GridGirl]

I was meaning what Drew was saying I think. We used to have a Orange thing that plugged into the lap top but now its plugged into a Wi-Fi thing instead. God knows.....I know nothing about the internet. :p Either way, it works in rural locations where we havent got a landline.

Wi-fi hotspots are pretty poor, I turned the function on my iPhone off because they were useless.