proposed 50p tax on each landline

[Sparx]

Originally Posted by Ch3tan

Is it? Do virgin send everything down that line then? I thought this charge would only apply if you had a connected phone line -so an active number?

Yeah its one line but im sure as i dont have any other package and do pay £50 a month for the 50megs i would be exempt from it

And to be picky its one line up your garden but it does split into 2 lines at the box outside, i know this because my box broke open and i could see inside it, i used to have a phone but one of the lines snapped and we lost it, the internet was still fine. The box got repaired but we had the phone and tv stopped before then

[Sparx]

Most of what i am reading the money seemes to be aimed at BT

Surprise 50p Broadband Tax In Digital Britain Report at Broadband News & Mobile Broadband News

There are mentions of Virgin updating their network but not from the money from the tax

Also bear in mind Virgin also install fibre optics as standard so there is nothing to upgrade there, its a seperate network from BT

[DaGaffer]

Originally Posted by Ch3tan

Is it? Do virgin send everything down that line then? I thought this charge would only apply if you had a connected phone line -so an active number?

The tax is 50p on every fixed line connection. What's on the end of the connection is irrelevant. Do you really think BT would have bought into a model that would encourage people to give up their voice packages at a time when people are giving up fixed line telephony hand over fist anyway? Loss of PSTN revenues is crippling telcos all over the world, none of them are going to help accelerate the process if they can avoid it.

[DaGaffer]

Originally Posted by Sparx

Also bear in mind Virgin also install fibre optics as standard so there is nothing to upgrade there, its a seperate network from BT

If they don't make it tax payable by all (including Virgin and Kingston Comms customers) then its anti-competitive. BT will get the lion's share of the money simply because they have the exchanges in the unconnected areas. If it made economic sense for Virgin to pass these areas, then they will be able to tap into the fund (it might make sense in some new build estates, but probably not).

While I know you're desperate not to forego that six quid, it ain't gonna happen.

[GReaper]

Originally Posted by Sparx

Nope i have no phone line, no telephone in my house. Its the 50 meg fibre optic from Virgin yes, but as i dont have a telephone line it wont include me. I dont have the TV either btw just the internet

Could you please not use false marketing bullshit?

You do not have a 50Mbit fibre connection, you have a 50Mbit coaxial connection from Virgin's hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) network. There is a huge difference between a FTTH connection and what you're getting.

[ford prefect]

There is quite an interesting article on Samknows, where they asked ISP's their views on the report:

Samknows Broadband - Digital Britain: Opinion leaders offer SamKnows their views

[Corran]

if i am paying for the cables etc through taxation then i assume that they be looking to give free or radically reduced access costs to using them.

why should i pay to upgrade the lines, when BT etc will then charge me an increased price if i wish to use the upgraded abilities?

but then that is just me, the british government is useless, maybe they should use all the money which they scammed from tax payers through their expense accounts to pay for it... already up to £500k and still rising.