Digital-Lifestyles

Government

  • TV In Prison Cells: £1 Per Week

    TV In Prison Cells: £1 Per WeekYesterday in the UK Parliament, John Spellar, Labour MP for Warley, asked how much the Prison Service spent on “providing satellite television services in prisons in 2007-08.”

    Maria Eagle (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Ministry of Justice) told him that the answer couldn’t be given, as costs that small aren’t recorded.

    She did point out that satellite TV wasn’t available in inmates cells (cue sigh of relief from Daily Mail readers) and it was up to the Governor if it was laid on in the shared areas at all.

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  • Your Laptop Is Open Season When Flying To SF, USA

    Your Laptop Is Open Season When Flying To The USWe’re still reeling after reading this story last week that a federal appeals court in the US ruled that it was fine for US customs agents to go through the content of an airline passengers laptop with no evidence of wrong doing – just because they felt like it.

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  • Ofcom Proposes Restrictions On Cash Cow Participation TV

    Ofcom Proposes Restrictions On Cash Cow Participation TVThere’s no shock that Ofcom have today detailed new Broadcasting Code rules intended to control the once-bonanza income generating TV programmes using Premium Rate Services (PRS) phone lines.

    The new rules make it clear that both radio and TV programmes cannot, as their primary focus, be encouraging viewers to call in using PRS. The focus should be editorial.

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  • Two New Directors At Ofcom

    Two New Directors At OfcomUber-regulator Ofcom is making two changes at the upper echelons of the organisation.

    Ofcom are bringing in people who are currently working at some of the media companies that they are regulating. With some artistic licence you could even stretch it to poacher turned game keeper.

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  • Ofcom Threaten O2 Over 3G

    Ofcom Threaten O2 Over 3GMobile operator O2 have attracted the attention of uber-regulator Ofcom, with accusations that O2 haven’t adhered to their 3G rollout obligations.

    The ruck between the two of them has come to light as part of the 3G licence obligations that the five operators of 3G licences entered into when they won the 150 round auction back in 2000.

    Under those terms, the licence operators committed to providing 3G coverage for at least 80% of the UK population by the end of 2007. Ofcom say that O2 has only achieved 75.69 percent, equating to them missing 2.5 million people. The other four 3G holders have hit the requirement.
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  • Internet Porn Addicts Targeted By US Presidential Hopefuls

    US Presidential Hopefuls Go For Internet P0rn AddictsThe ever-irreverent News Biscuit has hit upon a story that could well be a traffic monster for them – combining Internet porn and the current presidential race.

    Those tricky laugh generators have penned a piece which tells us that some of the presidential hopefuls have realised that, as there are soooo many Internet p0rn addicts, it’s worthwhile them sacrificing the female liberal vote – would would be outraged at such an idea – to get hold of the p0rn maniacs.

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  • Burma Blogger Arrested

    Burma Blogger ArrestedLooks like the State noose is tightening in Myanmar/Burma, particularly where the Internet is concerned.

    There are reports that blogger, Nay Myo Latt, has been taken into custody, following his blog postings on the suppression of freedoms currently being enacted in the country.

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  • PANIC! Tax Self Assessment Site Unavailable

    PANIC! Tax Self Assessment Site UnavailableFor those UK tax payers who haven’t filed their Self Assessment tax return before today’s deadline, looks like you’re going to have a pretty stressful day.

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  • BBC Micro Designer Gets CBE

    Steve Furber, CBEThose of a certain age will wax lyrical and glow slightly when the BBC Micro is mentioned in a conversation. It was a computer – along with the Sinclair ZX80/81/ Spectrum – that introduced a generation of the UK to computing.

    In Gordon Brown’s first New Years Honours List, Steve Furber, a principal designer of the BBC Microcomputer received one of the 32 CBE’s that were given this year.
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  • Ofcom Consumer Panel: ISP’s, Please Deliver Advertised Broadband Speeds

    Ofcom Consumer Panel: Actually Deliver Advertised Broadband SpeedsThe Ofcom Consumer Panel is officially asking Ofcom to look into broadband speeds in the UK

    There’s been some noise in the last few weeks in the UK media about the speed – or lack of it – of broadband connections.
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