BT Broadband customers hit by connection problems due to DNS issues
BT broadband customers across the UK are reporting problems accessing websites today. The ISP is aware of the issue and is currently working to implement a fix, but in the meantime, thousands of users up and down the country are experiencing DNS problems.
The problem is also affecting customers of Plusnet, a separate branch of BT. The company says that "Engineers are working to fix things as fast as possible", but this will come as little comfort to those who find they are unable to go about their daily business.
UK ISP Sky is about to start censoring the web for all of its customers
The UK government is on a mission to protect the young of the country from the dark recesses of the web. And by the darker recesses, what is really meant is porn. The main ISPs have long been required to block access to known piracy sites, but porn is also a concern -- for politicians, at least.
As part of its bid to sanitize and censor the web, Sky -- from the Murdoch stables -- is, as of today, enabling adult content filtering by default for all new customers: Sky Broadband Shield. The company wants to "help families protect their children from inappropriate content", and in a previous experiment discovered -- unsurprisingly -- that content filtering was used by more people if it was automatically enabled.
Google enters the landline business with Fiber Phone
Google has its tentacles wrapped around many things. Not only does it dominate search, and provide the most popular mobile operating system with Android, but it is also an ISP with Fiber and a cellular provider with Project Fi. If it involves the movement, collection, or analysis of data, the search giant seems interested.
With so many people owning smartphones nowadays, you'd expect landline service to be going the way of the dodo bird, but there are many reasons to have it, such as dependability in an emergency. Today, Google is surprisingly entering the landline business with the VoIP-powered Fiber Phone. No, it is not an early April Fool's Day joke, folks -- it is the real McCoy.
FCC's Tom Wheeler wants to protect internet users' privacy by limiting ISPs' personal data usage
The chairman of the Federal Communication Commission has put forward a set of proposals to protect internet user's privacy. Tom Wheeler wants to place limits on how ISPs are able to use customer data in much the same way that phone companies are regulated.
The amount of unencrypted data ISPs have access to which can be used for advertising and marketing worries Wheeler. The FCC already governs how phone companies can use and resell customer data, and he believes the same rules should be applied to ISPs. More than this, he wants to empower customers so they can choose precisely how their data is used.
Virgin Media says it's not right to advertise broadband speeds that most people cannot get
The 'misleading' nature of ads for broadband services has been the subject of debate for some time. The 'up to' figures put forward in relation to speed are often so open to interpretation as to render them meaningless. Customers have had enough, and now Virgin Media is ready to fight on their behalf.
Current rules enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) permit UK ISPs to make claims about broadband speeds, even if just 10 percent of customers could receive these speeds. Virgin thinks this is unfair and is calling on the ASA to update its guidelines so customers will have an easier time comparing deals.
BT's merger with EE gains official clearance -- and industry objections
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has given BT the go-ahead for a takeover of EE. The merger of the largest mobile provider in the UK with the country's largest landline provider creates a giant that rivals are concerned about.
The newly conceived communications behemoth has fingers in not only mobile and landline pies, but also TV and broadband. While the CMA's decision is not a surprise, rivals such as Vodafone, TalkTalk and Sky have voiced their disapproval, saying that the merger will have a negative impact on competition.
Proxies and VPNs to be blocked by Netflix
Netflix is set to clamp down on VPNs and proxy tools used to access its services. A large proportion of Netflix content is region specific, and to get around licensing issues it has become increasingly common for people to spoof their location so they can watch their desired videos.
Netflix says it is doing what it can to ensure that people around the world have access to the same content, but until this is officially the case, the company is looking to enforce geographic restrictions more stringently. In the coming weeks, anyone who uses a proxy is likely to find it impossible to access content that is not licensed for viewing in their country.
Brits acquiesce to internet surveillance but distrust data storage
UK web users are coming round to the idea of online surveillance by the government, but harbor concerns about how personal data will be stored. These are the findings of a survey by Broadband Genie that suggests terror attacks have led to a swing in public opinion of the Snooper's Charter.
But while people may be coming round to the idea of internet surveillance, they remain concerned about how private data -- such as browsing history -- will be stored. 27 percent of those surveyed said their opinion had been swayed by recent terrorist attacks by the likes of ISIS.
Broadband ads are confusing and misleading
People in the UK are confused by broadband advertising that can make it difficult to determine the best deals. The charity Citizens Advice says that most people find the ads too confusing and felt overwhelmed with information, making the task of comparing packages that much harder.
CA's findings suggest that more than half of people looking at broadband deals could not identify the cheapest deal available to them, at least in part because line rental costs were not always made clear. ISPs are accused of misleading customers, using headline-grabbing deal prices that do not truly reflect what the costs are.
Please, sir, I want some porn
UK consumers of porn will have to ask their ISP to provide them with access to X-rated content. As the government continues its futile bid to sanitize the web, new customers signing up for internet access with Sky will find that an adult content filter is enabled by default.
This means that anyone wanting to view content that has been deemed 'adult' will have to contact Sky to lift the block. The decision to make the content filter opt-out rather than opt-in was taken after it transpired that a mere 3 percent of existing users had taken the step of switching it on in the first year since its introduction in 2013.
Fast broadband to be classed a 'fundamental right'
Every home and business in the UK will have access to "fast broadband" by 2020. This is the latest pledge from Prime Minister David Cameron, who said that access to the internet "should be a right".
At the moment, 83 percent of people have access to superfast (24Mbps and faster) internet connections, and by 2017 this is expected to rise to 95 percent. The latest plan is directed at the "last 5 percent" -- such as people in remote areas -- and will oblige broadband providers to supply at least 10Mbps broadband to anyone who demands it.
UK police seek power to snoop on the web browsing history of the entire country
The Draft Communications Data Bill (or "snooper's charter") has proved very controversial in the UK, but is yet to be implemented. A key component of the proposed bill is a requirement for ISPs to retain records of every single users' browsing history for a full year. So far the bill has been kept at bay, but now the police are looking to place very much the same requirements on ISPs.
The police have lobbied the government, complaining that traditional methods of surveillance are insufficient to deal with the current levels of online crime. Proposals that the police should be able to access all and any records about someone's online activity without the need for a warrant are already viewed as an invasion of privacy, but police demands are all the more controversial since the snooper's charter was successfully blocked by the Liberal Democrats.
Chattanooga, Tennessee gets first 10 gigabit residential internet service courtesy of EPB
Looking to move to a new area? You may wish to add another location to your list of possibilities. Kansas may have Google, but not to be outdone Tennessee is going one better on the search giant, specifically if you live in the area of Chattanooga, a town situated near the Great Smokey Mountains.
The first ever 10 gigabit residential internet service has now been rolled out, appropriately installed for someone who has a pressing need for such massive bandwidth.
TalkTalk breach puts details of four million customers at risk
UK telecoms provider TalkTalk says it's been hit by a "significant and sustained" cyber attack which could have exposed the personal information of its four million customers.
In an official statement the company says that data including names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers and payment details may have been accessed.
Consumers want ISPs to offer simpler online protection
As the digital world expands with more and more connected 'things' from computers, tablets and smartphones to gaming systems, thermostats, cameras and smart TVs, many people feel less secure.
As a result consumers are looking for uncomplicated security solutions from their Internet Service Provider (ISP).
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