50p broadband tax - rant and possible solution

[Kevin Yeandel]

I feel like I'm being kicked to death by the government for various reasons.

Tax to pay for fast net access - new plans - everyone who has a landline has to pay 50p it seems.

Well, I don't mind the Orwellian world we seem to live in as much as some but I'm thinking about a software product which would allow groups of houses to share a single or pair of land line connections (how many really need 20MB broadband all the time?)

Basically a row of houses would have an outdoor router on the front wall and a 2 phone lines to serve, say, 10 houses.
As long WEP/MAC access was used and logs kept for legal usage reasons AND those logs were escrowed but inaccessible to individual users (privacy), what would be the problem with 8 of the 10 people dropping land lines in favour of excellent VOIP instead of phones (and most of us have mobiles). Do we really all need land lines these days? I personally only have a land line to use for internet reasons but would drop it tomorrow if such a scheme existed.

For example, if 10 homes pay £30 a month for land line rental, would it not make sense to consolidate the wireless? e.g. £300 becomes £60 split 8 ways - and everyone is trying to save their dosh these days.

Obviously wouldn't suit the cable users and everyone but what are your thoughts? Is this good software to write or a waste of time?

Thanks

Kevin

 

[An Oasis]

I'm not techy enough to know if your idea is good or not, but it sounds like there could be merits there.

However, McSpoons briefing shows how completely clueless he and PR machine is about the whole affair.

Gordon Brown claimed that faster internet access was 'an essential service as indispensable as electricity, gas and water'.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/bargai...rticle_id=487652&in_page_id=182&ct=5&ito=1723

WTF? As essential as water, what a complete waste of space that man is, resign, resign, resign you useless lump of drivel.

 

[stugster]

I have to agree. Comparing Internet access to access to water is a bit stupid. Perhaps that man should sit down and think before speaking next time.

As for the idea of sharing broadband between X houses for the one line, it could be possible. WEP isn't secure enough as an encryption method though, it can be easily cracked.

I'm sure theres a router you can get at the moment that has a DMZ for letting members of the public use it as a hot-spot. Problem is, you need some form of accountability when people access things they shouldn't. Being able to control access and account for each user would be difficult. Who would be responsible for it?

 

[fisicx]

I'm on cable and use a mobile most of the time so if I get rid of my landline am I exempt the tax? How about those with a dongle, do they have to pay?

 

[cjd]

It's already done - quite a lot of villages are now pooling their broadband using satellite for example. The issue would only be with the T&Cs of the broadband provider and the likely usage limiting issues.

VoIP and wireless is not a good combination though - better with private circuits and cable.

 

[easyasit]

I considered that some time ago.
I recall my neighbour was renting as i was, he need bb, and we were on it. Though we never used wireless, didnt need it.
Tried to set it up as he was willing to pay towards it for its use. did not know enough then about doing it.
That said and done, who would have known, it would just have been a case of adding his mac address to the list of acceptions, no problem.

so many wifi in the area where i live too, trouble is the average bandwidth is crap, even though its a five min walk to the local BT exchange.

Then i think this neck of the woods is something of a bb black spot.

 

[Kevin Yeandel]

It's already done - quite a lot of villages are now pooling their broadband using satellite for example. The issue would only be with the T&Cs of the broadband provider and the likely usage limiting issues.

VoIP and wireless is not a good combination though - better with private circuits and cable.

You sound like the right sort of company to kick off a solution )
Count me in as a customer if you do.
Surprised about the voip/wireless issue - by the time this kicks off telco could have improved. I've had a noticeable improvement in skype in the past year or so.

Also in response to the other comments. WEP and MAC are surely secure enough? I can pick up 9 or 10 houses from my window so can't see how secuity could be reduced further. VPN could be installable fairly easily. The person mentioning sharing with neighbours.. indeed it's done a lot in Spain but I don't recommend any form of sharing where there is no proper identification of who downloaded what - and then you run into privacy issues.....

 

[stugster]

WEP is crackable, MAC is spoofable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wired_Equivalent_Privacy

http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/how-to-change-mac-address/


Very insecure way of doing it. If you want secure, you want WPA2 as a bare minimum.

 

[cjd]

You sound like the right sort of company to kick off a solution )

See:

http://www.wraycomcom.org.uk/

 

[spreadsheetsdirect]

If they hadn't rushed into making everything digital they could have spent all that money on laying new lines which would have allowed tv to be streamed on demand which is basically what's going to happen in a few years anyway.

 

[Subbynet]

If you want secure, you want WPA2 as a bare minimum.

WPA2 isn't safe anymore too... Its long be known WPA2 is susceptible to a brute force attack, but in practice it would take so long that it was unfeasible.

I won't go into details, those that need/want to know, will know the sites to visit for info.

Just to say that its the old methods which will help protect you, a long random hard to figure out p@s5w0r6...

 

[stugster]

"as a bare minimum"

 

[Subbynet]

"as a bare minimum"

but the bare minimum would still leave you vulnerable to the attack.

You need the decent password bit now to meet the new minimum. :redface: Sort of always needed it really, but now you can't even rely on the mechanics of WPA2.

 

[cyberdoyle]

We run a community network. you need a real good supply like a leased line to share with others, or you get lotsa kids at tea time doing funky stuff and everyone else falls off. we have learnt how to share our bandwidth with each other, but it involves a lot of work. It also gets tricky when the access point fails and needs a reboot and nobody at home to do it. Lots of little things, but important to address. But it means you can dispense with the landline, so worth considering! We enjoy ours tremendously.

 

[stugster]

Subby: always use decent passwords! Those who don't should be hung drawn and quartered!


cybredoyle: proper QoS should help a wee bit with abusing the resources. As for an access point failing... if the equipment isn't cheap nasty crap, you shouldn't ever need to reboot it.

 

[cyberdoyle]

we use LocustWorld meshboxes, and they don't fall over often, but in rural areas you get power cuts and surges and this can upset the best of equipment, despite having ups on them sometimes batteries fail too. Just trying to say that it isn't that simple, then folk are aware there are little snags now and then.

 

[Subbynet]

Subby: always use decent passwords! Those who don't should be hung drawn and quartered!

Yep so true.

#1 problem in computer security - passwords.
#1 problem for people using computers - passwords.

 

[wood1e2]

Having a stealth tax on telecoms seems to defeat the idea of privatisation!!

I know the latest incompetents didn't privatise BT, and their seem to struggele to make money, but now we are going to pay a private company to update their infrastructure....!!!!!

Which they should be doing themselves...well they are but only for a few meg...So we could be taxed for an out of date slow service before it even begins!!

Why not pay Virgin to start digging up the roads and expand their infrasturcture, then we can all get 10Mbps as a minimum now...!!!

 

[Esk247]

we still have over head cables and telephone lines here..when the wind picks up the internet goes slowly...it's like living in a third world democracy..oh wait..scratch the democracy bit!

they should actually sit down and think about what they're talking about...50p tax won't buy them nuffin! add on all the consultant fees, helplines, paperwork, the offices that will be set up to deal with this new fangled digital revolution.

they really haven't thought this through have they.

 

[JackMaurer]

When I see that every single MP is up to date with their taxes I'll submit mine, not before

 

[Eagle]

What are they aiming for; 2Mb? Wow.

Japan routinely has 1Tb connections.

 

[Esk247]

What are they aiming for; 2Mb? Wow.

Japan routinely has 1Tb connections.

the Netherlands has 30mb standard doesnt it?

the UK is now so far behind in the tech world that we're being surpassed by the likes of australia, france and probably india for all we know.

can you believe that people are still using dial up? well.i can because i know of half a dozen in my area that still have dialup connection because the phone lines are ancient and won't deal with broadband speeds at all.

i've only just gone up to 6mb in the last few months since the service was un-bundled.