[Update and merge] 50p landline tax shelved
 

The government ( er joke !) announced a 50p per month levy on fixed phone lines to pay for fibe optic broadband for the whole country

I guess we VM customers will be exempt as we already have fibre optic - well to the Green Box anyway

does anyone know if we are in fact exempt

Re: 50p phone levey - not on Virgin phones ?
 

loony labour at it again

im led to belive its a levy on copper lines ie BT

Re: 50p phone levey - not on Virgin phones ?
 

I understand the charge to be on fixed lines, so that includes Virgin Media as well.

Re: 50p phone levey - not on Virgin phones ?
 

This is something I'd been wondering about.

The levy is described as fixed lines which would include VM, but equally, why should VM be forced to either increase their customer prices or "competitively" absorb it (as the report referred to) just for the sake of funding the competitors network improvements?

For me personally, I'm on VOIP over VM broadband with no fixed line though :p:

Re: 50p phone levey - not on Virgin phones ?
 

The first thing I thought of was the mobile companies rubbing their hands with glee as more fixed line customers turning to pre pay or per month contracts.

Re: 50p phone levey - not on Virgin phones ?
 

will this include businesses and be a higher charge based on usage or ratable value as the cost of satellite tv is in pubs

Re: 50p phone levey - not on Virgin phones ?
 

Those people whove bundled TV & Broadband only will be laughing at the rest of us. People that have bundled TV & Phone only will be very annoyed, as my neigbours are. He and his wife are in their mid 70's and have no intention of having a computer, let alone having Broadband, yet they will have to pay it.

Re: 50p phone levey - not on Virgin phones ?
 

Don't understand why everyone's making such a fuss about it, it's 50p a month, that's just £6 a year, hardly breaking the bank is it?

Re: 50p phone levey - not on Virgin phones ?
 

untill it is no longer 50p

it won't take long for the gov to realise that 50p is no were near enough to raise the money needed

Re: 50p phone levey - not on Virgin phones ?
 

Well some would view giving 50p per month as just another tax, especially when they are already enjoying broadband.

Re: 50p phone levey - not on Virgin phones ?
 

Seeing as the money is to give people who don't already have access to fast broadband (or any broadband) a fast broadband connection, I doubt that the fact you are on Virgin makes any difference at all.

Re: 50p phone levey - not on Virgin phones ?
 

From what I've seen (not had a chance to read the full report yet), the recommendation was actually along the lines of "start off at £6 but if it's not enough increase it". What do you reckon the chances are of BT seeing if they can treat that as a blank cheque? Or am I just too cynical? :p:

Re: 50p phone levey - not on Virgin phones ?
 

not cynical at all ,i think that's exactly what will happen especialy given that the areas in question could only be supplied by bt realistically

Re: 50p phone levey - not on Virgin phones ?
 

Westminster could do with being brought into the 21st Century before we start worrying about the country folk.

Re: 50p phone levey - not on Virgin phones ?
 

Having a fixed line improves your credit worthy-ness with most banks