 As companies and local governing bodies try to push fibre optic broadband forward, progress slows as investors fear a Conservative win:
>>>> Research from moneysupermarket.com has found that 59% of people in the UK would feel cut off from the world if they didn't have access to a home phone or broadband. 30% said they would contact people less without this type of technology. The research also showed that people on average spend 68 hours online each month. Moneysupermarket.com suggests that if people are using the internet for this amount of time, they should ensure they are on the best possible deal.
Further research from the comparison site has suggested that around 4 million people in the UK have used someone elses internet connection without the account holder finding out. In addition, they discovered that 1 in 5 internet users did not have their connection protected by a password. Moneysupermarket.com point out that the Governments future plans to combat file sharing were futile, as it will be difficult to prove who is using an internet connection.
>>>> Meanwhile, comment from an analyst at Forreseter Research has suggested that people are not particularly dissatisfied with their broadband access in the UK. Ian Fogg has said that dissatisfaction would normally be considered a good thing as it would speed up the improvements in the broadband service currently available. The fact that people are not complaining is slowing down progress.
>>>> An investment of £48m has been promised for Northern Ireland to improve broadband in urban and rural areas over the next year and a half. Businesses have been promised at least 10Mbps while those in rural areas can expect 2Mbps via the use of fibre optic cables. BT is investing half the money while the rest is coming from the EU. It has been suggested by the minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment Arlene Foster, that the initiative could create 1000 jobs and improve competitiveness. It is expected that the work will be complete by May 2011.
>>>> Irish 3G mobile phone operator, 3 has announced it has signed up more than 175,000 mobile broadband users in Ireland, making it number two in the country behind Eircom. It ha enjoyed a greater rate of growth compared to Eircom and blames the good response on the development of its MiFi mobile broadband service.
>>>> BT have been forced to move the roadside cabinets they installed as part of the fibre optic trial in Muswell Hill, London. Haringey Council have insisted the cabinets be moved and be repainted from green to black after an outburst of anger from local residents, who said they were ugly and did not have planning permission. It was also stated that the position prevented car passengers from opening their doors, blocked pavements for pedestrians and that they were placed in a conservation area. The residents of Muswell Hill enjoy up to 40Mbps download speeds due to the cabinets -- (there's simply no pleasing some people!).
>>>> Virgin Media has launched its new mobile broadband service which offers up to 7Mbps which is faster than most of its competitors. A dongle or wireless adapter will offer double the previous available speeds, but only for those with the right geographical location, according to a Virgin Media statement. A monthly package will cost £10 or £15 depending on the number of gigabytes wanted. An 18 month contract is required.
This comes after the news that Virgin Media's download speeds were fastest in November's poll of the top providers. Virgin came in with speeds of 7.214Mbps which is 2Mbps faster than any rival - however they did stay static on the previous month. AOL offered the lowest speeds, but did improve from the previous month. In second place was O2.
>>>> Latest figures have shown that a fibre optic broadband project started in North Wales one year ago is very popular, with 1000 people making use of the scheme. It cost £30m to set up the FibreSpeed project and was supported by the Welsh Assembly government. The system runs for over 200 miles and links businesses to an infrastructure in Manchester.
>>>> A new campaign known as Spread the Love has been launched by internet provider Be. They hope that the campaign will encourage people to ask their friends to sign up to their service. Members will receive £30 if they refer and the the new member will also receive £30 credit on their account. The company say they are taking advantage of the way the internet works and that peer-to-peer relationships are commonplace. However, note should be made that this is how AOL used to grow their business and we know how that fairy-tale went. As long as they don't copy any other AOL ideas, though, they should be fine ;)
>>>> The Broadband Stakeholders Group has warned that the future of broadband in the UK could be dictated by the outcome of the next election. Private investors have already been reluctant to invest in the industry until they know what the outcome is. Both Labour and the Conservatives have very different views, with the Conservatives not seeing the broadband issue as a priority. They also warned that a hung parliament could result in the roll out of broadband being held up completely. †
    
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