50p a month on fixed lines to pay foe broadband for all

Wickedkitten

Graham_Devon wrote: »

The problem with this tax, is that it states it will enable everyone to recieve 2mb broadband.

It won't. It may enable people to recieve UP TO 2mb broadband. "Up to" is the key, and the getout clause for everyone it seems.

Recently I (and all of us living here) have been having major major problems with broadband where I am, so much so it's reached the local news. There are simply too many people trying to use the system, so much so that it's not uncommon to see "broadband" at it's fastest at 0.27mbps.

There are simply tonnnes of posts on the O2 broadband forums about the same things.

Put simply, too many people using too little infrastructure. BT are simply not doing what they should. This tax will not help that, and as already said, it will soon rise.

Already it has come out that the tax will not help the people it should help, as all BT's efforts go towards densly populated, high revenue areas.

A lot of people I know with O2 seem to be having the same issues. It was fine when they first signed up a couple of years ago, but now that a lot of people in their area seem to be switching from Virgin back to adsl, it's become completely oversubscribed and their speeds have dropped massively.

Graham_Devon

Wickedkitten wrote: »

A lot of people I know with O2 seem to be having the same issues. It was fine when they first signed up a couple of years ago, but now that a lot of people in their area seem to be switching from Virgin back to adsl, it's become completely oversubscribed and their speeds have dropped massively.

It's more a BT issue. It has become oversubscribed, but they are using BT's network. Seems BT have them up against a wall.

However it's not so much an O2 problem, it's the same with BT Broadband here. It's basically simply HAVING to use BT's hardware that's causing the issues.

JasonLVC

I thought the whole point of privatisation was for the private firm to invest in the infrastructure and then reap the rewards of that investment by then charging for the service.

If the taxpayer now has to part-fund the investment, then where is the benefit for the consumer?....all this will mean is that BT get to lay cables where they weren't before, get us to pay for it via the tax and then charge the consumer £19.99 a month to use it. Kerching for BT.

Surely the whole point of general taxation (NI/PAYE) is that the money is pooled and used by the government as they see fit. Do we really need to create another layer of taxation for specific purposes (and in reality, like road tax, we all know this tax will just go into central funding and not be used for the purpose it was collected).

Wickedkitten

Graham_Devon wrote: »

It's more a BT issue. It has become oversubscribed, but they are using BT's network. Seems BT have them up against a wall.

However it's not so much an O2 problem, it's the same with BT Broadband here. It's basically simply HAVING to use BT's hardware that's causing the issues.

It's totally a BT issue I agree since it's their lines that they are using. The problem is only going to get worse though when they add more people to it.

abaxas

Wickedkitten wrote: »

It's totally a BT issue I agree since it's their lines that they are using. The problem is only going to get worse though when they add more people to it.

Yes and no.

You also have to blame LLU for this. As competition has allowed others to take the most profitable bits, leaving BT with more 'crud'.

Ie you are subsidising other companies.

lemonjelly

JasonLVC wrote: »

I thought the whole point of privatisation was for the private firm to invest in the infrastructure and then reap the rewards of that investment by then charging for the service.

If the taxpayer now has to part-fund the investment, then where is the benefit for the consumer?....all this will mean is that BT get to lay cables where they weren't before, get us to pay for it via the tax and then charge the consumer £19.99 a month to use it. Kerching for BT.

Surely the whole point of general taxation (NI/PAYE) is that the money is pooled and used by the government as they see fit. Do we really need to create another layer of taxation for specific purposes (and in reality, like road tax, we all know this tax will just go into central funding and not be used for the purpose it was collected).

Chortle!

Cynic alert! The purpose of privatisation was to reduce state interaction in the markets & move towards a more laissez faire economy. Oh, & to vastly increase the contents of the pockets of the few elites.

ruggedtoast

I am theoretically in favour of this as I think internet access is so important now its not fair for people in isolated spots to be left without a connection. And its not much money.

However, I really dont think now is the time, or that this is the government, to load yet more tax onto us.

There was a guy on R4 this morning talking about how, thanks to Labour, as a country we're just going to have to face up to a lower standard of living.

People who would rather sign on because minumum wage jobs are beneath them are going to have to lower their expectations and take those jobs, perhaps for a long time. And unfortunately things like the taxpayer provisioning your adsl line may have to wait a decade.

Equaliser123

PasturesNew wrote: »

There is a landline here, but no broadband. There will never be broadband here, so why should people who don't even have the Internet, people who have never been on the Internet, pay?

.

I have never been on benefits nor do I claim anything now. I am a higher rate tax payer - much of my tax goes to people on benefits. Why is that any different?

Agree with the sentiments that better networks across the UK can only be a good thing. It's only 50p per month for crying out loud!

The_White_Horse

Equaliser123 wrote: »

I have never been on benefits nor do I claim anything now. I am a higher rate tax payer - much of my tax goes to people on benefits. Why is that any different?

Agree with the sentiments that better networks across the UK can only be a good thing. It's only 50p per month for crying out loud!

its only 50p a month

its only 1.50 a month

its only 10.00 a month

its only 300 a year

and how much do you pay, Mr Council Flat Workshy Benefit Scrounger?

I pay nothing. I get my broadband free. As an out of work scrounger it is very important I have access to the internet, so I can download !!!!!! and stuff.

No point working though as i get it all free now. why work and then have to pay for it????

molerat

Equaliser123 wrote: »

I have never been on benefits nor do I claim anything now. I am a higher rate tax payer - much of my tax goes to people on benefits. Why is that any different?

Agree with the sentiments that better networks across the UK can only be a good thing. It's only 50p per month for crying out loud!

Will you agree to a 1p rise in income tax then, to many this is what it amounts to.