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Government 'must ensure rural areas receive high-speed broadband'
IT News |
09/03/2010
The UK faces a widening of the digital divide unless the government ensures rural areas receive broadband upgrades, it has been suggested.
Jillian Pitt, a digital expert at Consumer Focus, says UK internet service providers are continuing to focus on providing next-generation web services in densely-populated urban areas.
Rural communities are being excluded from the national infrastructure developments, she claims, leaving countryside-based businesses unable to compete with their rivals in towns and cities.
Ms Pitt commented: "It is the areas being left behind that have the greatest need in terms of communication, access to services, and being able to compete commercially.
"The government must ensure broadband is available to everyone regardless of location and income."
Under current government plans, a 50p-a-month broadband tax will help ensure 90 per cent of the population receives high-speed broadband by 2017.
However, the Conservative Party believes the roll-out of next-generation internet connections should be left to the private sector, and has vowed to scrap plans for the tax if it wins the spring general election.
Posted by John Lynes
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