Nov 2019
9:58am, 16 Nov 2019
2,373 posts
|
Fellrunning
My youngest daughter lives in semi rural Canada (and by that I mean 80miles from the nearest sizeable habitation - which isn't considered out in the sticks over there). Not only does she have broadband she pays no more for it than someone who lives in Toronto. So I'm sorry but it's perfectly possible if the political will is there. Politicos bang on about investing in infrastructure than call a proposal to do just that reckless. As I said - basic broadband is cheap. A free basic service with a modest set of limits on speed and download with pay for options on a sliding scale for a better service would be advantageous in all sorts of ways. Certainly far better than cutting journey times between London and Birmingham by 20 minutes. It seems to me that the objection to anything that Labour proposes seems to be more about Jeremy Corbyn than whether the idea has any merit: as "Corbyn suggests it - therefore its Marxist ideological crap" |
Nov 2019
11:18am, 16 Nov 2019
303 posts
|
Non-runner
Takes me back to those happy days working on EU State Aid, we were trying for ages to get broadband schemes approved for South Yorkshire and North Yorkshire rural areas. It seems to be on track now in SY but it was a bumpy ride, avoiding competition and not distorting the market or indeed, future markets. The SA frameworks may have changed now but for those that like this sort of thing, the notification is still here. Any state investment above or outside certain limits has to go through this process and quite rightly too. ec.europa.eu |
Nov 2019
12:01pm, 16 Nov 2019
1,715 posts
|
Pothunter
The BBC had an article questioning whether fibre is the right technology to be investing in. By 2030 (Corbyn’s deadline) will that still be the way people connect? Making broadband accessible to everyone is a great idea, but is nationalising BT the best way to achieve it? |
Nov 2019
12:20pm, 16 Nov 2019
8,271 posts
|
simbil
I read the article, and the answer seemed to be that fibre is the right tech, unless something as yet unknown comes along. It makes the point that 5G is generally only used for the last leg of a fibre network and has range/obstruction problems so is not an alternative and is not even as good. Nationalising BT Openreach seems like one valid way to do it. They could also just pay Openreach to do it instead. |
Nov 2019
12:21pm, 16 Nov 2019
1,577 posts
|
Surelynot
Bazo - I think that it would be much easier to 'focus on day to day business' in Scotland if the government had full control over all the levers of power. One example of where it gets difficult to focus on day to day business is in drugs policy. There's an appalling level of drug-related deaths in Scotland. One of the proposed measures to combat this is to set up safe drug rooms. We can't set these up in Scotland as the powers are reserved at Westminster. And the Tories oppose it. So it's not going to happen. |
Nov 2019
1:01pm, 16 Nov 2019
22,903 posts
|
Johnny Blaze
I am not enough of an expert on the network to say what nationalisation means and what iniquities this policy is intended to address. However, the Daily Mash may have it right when they suggested that "Jeremy Corbyn still thinks the internet is educational". I do wonder what his level of understanding of tinternet actually is. I don't think he is the brightest bulb in the shop and this might be a solution which harms Labour more than it helps them. I'm really not convinced this one is addressing a pressing need when there is so much else to sort out, and if JC wanted to frighten the horses this is one policy which will do just that. A misstep in my opinion. |
Nov 2019
1:46pm, 16 Nov 2019
9,258 posts
|
rf_fozzy
I don't know if nationalisation of BT is the best way forward either. However, I do think it is a pressing need if the UK wants to be competitive in the global environment. Is it #1 priority? No, that would be climate change. #2 obviously Brexit (remember this is the dead cat that the hard right wanted because it prevents action on #1). However connectivity will also help with the fight on climate change - one obvious reason is that it means less pointless travel for a "meeting" that could be done via teleconferencing. It also ties into action on poverty and the "left behind" communities by offering opportunities that would come to these areas otherwise. What I will note about nationalisation is that the two countries that have the worst records of Rural vs Urban connectivity and integration (hence leading to political and cultural polarisation) - the UK and US - are the two that have hard/far right leading voices in Johnson/Farage and the ERG and Trump and the Republicans. These two countries have a significant number of zealots who subscribe to the faith in the religion of the "free market" to solve all ills. |
|
Nov 2019
2:13pm, 16 Nov 2019
2,374 posts
|
Fellrunning
Don't see a reason for nationalising BT to enable such an infrastructure programme. Simply contract them or someone else to do the work. After all the Government contracted Carillion to build hospitals and schools and that went really well. Oh - hang on.... |
Nov 2019
5:21pm, 16 Nov 2019
15,499 posts
|
Chrisull
Good politics by Corbyn for once on broadband! In fact excelllent. Why? Because it's taken the conversation away from Brexit, which is not a Labour strong point, to put it mildly. As for nationalising BT Openreach, eminently sensible, but as many of the tech heads point out, there are plenty of harder questions to answer (of which affording it isn't really the problem). Some good bits and pieces... here: computerweekly.com and here on "broadband communism" in other countries: opendemocracy.net and a twitter thread on why competition has/is costing us billions: twitter.com Thatcher basically screw broadband for us with the disastrous BT privatisation but leaving BT Openreach as a monopoly. Another calamitous mistake by a calamitous politician. |
|
Nov 2019
5:22pm, 16 Nov 2019
15,500 posts
|
Chrisull
And fozzie this can be linked into Green politics and sensible climate change adaptations of life style - reduce commuting, more people able to work from home...
|
Useful Links
FE accepts no responsibility for external links. Or anything, really.Related Threads
-
Fantasy General Election
Jul 2024
-
EU Referendum - In or Out? Vote here
Aug 2018
-
March to Parliament Against Brexit - Sat 2nd July
Jun 2016
-
EU Referendum
Feb 2016
-
Ads on Fetch - anyone else getting Leave and Remain?!
Feb 2017
-
The Environment Thread :-)
Oct 2024
-
Economics
Aug 2023
-
Dear Scottish Fetchies
Jan 2023
-
Any economists out there - question
Oct 2022
-
Power and exploitation - please check my sanity
Oct 2018
