UK Develops 72-Hour Black Sky Backup Plans as BBC Prepares 100-Staff Emergency Radio Service
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Nov 7
UK Develops 72-Hour Black Sky Backup Plans as BBC Prepares 100-Staff Emergency Radio Service
2 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Nov 7
Summary
The UK is building contingency plans to keep the country functioning for at least 72 hours during a nationwide “Black Sky” blackout, with emergency broadcasting and communications backups at the core.
About 100 BBC staff would run a dedicated emergency radio studio with secure non-internet links and enough fuel, food and water to operate for at least three days, relaying pre-written government advice over FM.
The planning reflects lessons from Lancaster’s 2015 outage, when flooding cut power to 61,500 people and quickly disrupted water, transport, cash machines, shops and mobile communications.
The government is also spending £70 million on high-altitude pseudo-satellites designed to provide at least a week of emergency mobile and internet coverage when ground networks fail.
The push comes as resilience concerns grow after the 2025 Iberian blackout and as the UK prepares to switch off copper landlines on 31 January 2027 while FM radio’s future remains under review.