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The UK could have had world leading broadband were it not for Mrs T. She decided BT's late 1980s decision to rollout fibre was anti-competitive and killed it in

The UK could have had world leading broadband were it not for Mrs T. She decided BT's late 1980s decision to rollout fibre was anti-competitive and killed it in 1990 when we were pretty much leading the world [0]. So the grindingly slow reality of ADSL isn't especially surprising sadly. [0] https://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/how-the-uk-lost-the-broadband-race-in-1990-1224784 https://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/how-the-uk-lost...

cup-of-tea 8y ago
Yes, and gave a private company the right to roll out its own infrastructure. Said private company put infrastructure in a few very high concentration areas during the 90s and did nothing since. It's almost as if natural monopolies actually exist.
wjoe 8y ago
And yet BT is pretty much the definition of anti-competitive now anyway, and it's that monopoly which is killing progress today.
- matthewmacleod 8y ago
  Is that really true? What's stopping alternative companies from rolling out fibre services, beyond the cost barriers?
  - PaulKeeble 8y ago
    The contract that BT signed with the government for all the funding granting it a duopoly with Virgin, where Virgin isn't going to increase the cable network at all. That combined with the wayleave issues at a local council level being waved just for them means that the preferred rollout partner in BT gets all the money, all the profits from it and has all the access. About the only nationwide competition that is even remotely happening is from Hyperoptic and they are being blocked all over the place and they are also really laser focussed only on high-density buildings.
    - matthewmacleod 8y ago
      That totally sucks. Someone should really force a lawsuit on the issue.
- tobylane 8y ago
  Which BT are you talking about? BT the end user ISP or BT Openreach, the owner of the phone lines? Both have large oversight from Ofcom, the most visible of all the regulators.
_kyran 8y ago
Likewise, the NBN (national broadband network) in Australia was a disaster.
merinowool 8y ago
Britain has so much potential, but when something becomes huge they either shut it down or only enable cronies to profit from it. Recent example is medicinal cannabis. There is worldwide boom, but it is illegal in the UK to grow except for drugs minister husband (Yes you couldn't make it up) and government says it has no medicinal value. But this has real suffering behind it, as people can't get medicine they need as an effect.

cup-of-tea 8y ago

Yes, and gave a private company the right to roll out its own infrastructure. Said private company put infrastructure in a few very high concentration areas during the 90s and did nothing since. It's almost as if natural monopolies actually exist.

wjoe 8y ago

And yet BT is pretty much the definition of anti-competitive now anyway, and it's that monopoly which is killing progress today.

matthewmacleod 8y ago
Is that really true? What's stopping alternative companies from rolling out fibre services, beyond the cost barriers?
- PaulKeeble 8y ago
  The contract that BT signed with the government for all the funding granting it a duopoly with Virgin, where Virgin isn't going to increase the cable network at all. That combined with the wayleave issues at a local council level being waved just for them means that the preferred rollout partner in BT gets all the money, all the profits from it and has all the access. About the only nationwide competition that is even remotely happening is from Hyperoptic and they are being blocked all over the place and they are also really laser focussed only on high-density buildings.
  - matthewmacleod 8y ago
    That totally sucks. Someone should really force a lawsuit on the issue.
tobylane 8y ago
Which BT are you talking about? BT the end user ISP or BT Openreach, the owner of the phone lines? Both have large oversight from Ofcom, the most visible of all the regulators.

_kyran 8y ago

Likewise, the NBN (national broadband network) in Australia was a disaster.

merinowool 8y ago

Britain has so much potential, but when something becomes huge they either shut it down or only enable cronies to profit from it. Recent example is medicinal cannabis. There is worldwide boom, but it is illegal in the UK to grow except for drugs minister husband (Yes you couldn't make it up) and government says it has no medicinal value. But this has real suffering behind it, as people can't get medicine they need as an effect.