Countdown to the new broadband safety net

Everyone in the UK will have the legal right to request a decent and affordable broadband connection from March next year, Ofcom has confirmed.

They are implementing the UK Government’s ‘universal broadband service’ – a safety net that will give eligible homes and businesses a legal right to request a decent connection.

Through legislation, brought in last year, those households will be able to request better broadband, capable of delivering download speeds of at least 10 Mbit/s, and upload speeds of at least 1 Mbit/s. These speeds will be reviewed overtime, as the amount of data people use changes.

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Ofcom have decided that BT and KCOM are best placed to meet the challenges of providing universal service connections. So BT will be responsible for connecting properties in the whole of the UK except the Hull area, where KCOM will be the designated provider.

Ofcom have given BT and KCOM until 20 March next year to make the necessary preparations, including changes to their systems and processes, to start building these connections. From that date, people can start making requests.

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Read the full article at - https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/media/media-releases/2019/countdown-new-broadband-safety-net

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