British businesses are being warned that they could lose their internet connections during the Olympics due to a surge in the number of people going online at key times. The demand could be such that internet companies might be forced to ration access, according to official advice. … more

BT accounted for over half of the UK’s new broadband subscribers in the last three months of 2011, as it indicated it would review its fibre broadband investment with a focus on getting businesses to pay for installation. … more

Rogers has promised to stop “throttling” internet traffic on its network by the end of this year, in response to an investigation by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. … more

Telecoms watchdog Ofcom has said that the average broadband speed in the UK increased by nearly 22 percent in the year up to November 2011. … more

Fish, barrel; fox, henhouse; Abbott, NBN. Mocking Tony Abbott’s ignorance of telecoms has become so easy and habitual that his latest pronouncements would normally hardly merit a response. But with his latest policy speech being seen as an informal roll-up to next year’s election campaign, and Telstra’s recent behaviour reaffirming the need for government intervention in the telco sector, it’s important to once again weigh the implications of Abbott’s cost-redirection policy against the reality of the situation. … more

Mexico’s phone industry, dominated by billionaire Carlos Slim’s carriers, overcharged customers $13.4 billion a year from 2005 to 2009, hurting the nation’s economy, according to a report. … more

Exclusive rights deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars to broadcast live events could be at risk after a court ruled yesterday that shows could be recorded and screened “near live” without breaching copyright.
… more

Delegates to focus on region-wide ‘digital inclusion’

Over the past 12 months, the Arab Spring has brought about unprecedented political changes across the region. The right to communicate is increasingly recognized and asserted, and now needs to be complemented by opportunities to be educated and employed, and to contribute to the development of the economy and wealth of the region. … more

Georgia is the latest state to become engaged in a community broadband fight with the introduction of SB 313, the Broadband Investment Equity Act. … more

European Union member countries that fail to implement the bloc’s new rules on consumer rights for telephone and Internet services could be taken to Europe’s highest court as soon as next month, EU Digital Commissioner Neelie Kroes said Thursday. … more