BT and Virgin appeal Birmingham Council's broadband plans

BT and Virgin appeal Birmingham Council's broadband plans

BT and Virgin are launching legal challenges against Birmingham City Council’s plans to create its own superfast broadband service.

The ultrafast infrastructure has been given approval from the European Commission, which has been mooted since 2010 and will form part of the Smart City programme. Birmingham later won a grant of £10 million from the Urban Broadband Fund, which has been set up to help cities get better connected.

However, Virgin and BT claim that the plan will overlap with their private networks. This is despite the fact that some local businesses have complained that they cannot afford the services from the private networks.

Local councillor, James McKay, has spoken out about the legal move by the big broadband providers. He told press: “Birmingham is extremely disappointed in Virgin Media’s decision to appeal this landmark ruling.

“The city has worked in a very positive and collaborative way with them over the last few years to help inform and develop our business case and we are surprised that they have chosen to appeal at such a late stage.”

The local council is now insisting that the legal appeal is dealt with as quickly as possible. It added that it was important that the case was treated as a ‘test case’ for Europe. Small businesses can opt to invest in a leased line managed network while they wait for the legal process to take place. They will have a dedicated fast network, which will allow them to enjoy all the benefits of a fast and reliable connection.