Broadband News

The CRC says over forty per cent of England's rural dwellers are struggling with speeds below the Digital British standard of 2Mbit/s – and that that's significant to the economy because one in three people living in the countryside work from home. According to the Commission, upping connection speeds in such areas would not only benefit them but could also create more rural entrepreneurs. You may notice that it's rare for Internet connectivity issues to spoken about without the relevant economic pros and cons being mentioned in the same breath. But the CRC has to be particularly persuasive when it comes to getting support for rural broadband: installing fast broadband in less densely populated areas is much less cost-effective than elsewhere.

“Rural users are frustrated by the lack of speed and reliability of existing services," says the CRC's Executive Director, Graham Russell. "Those unable to access broadband are excluded from what, for a large section of the population, are now basic services. Digital technology can help tackle social and economic disadvantage in rural areas." Its report also highlights the way that broadband can improve the quality of life of older citizens (if it can actually make them use it).

Now that the final Digital Britain report has been published, the Commission's worried people will forget about the plight of the Lesser Spotted – in Westminster, at least – Rural Dweller. "There is a danger, with the 2 megabits promise, that people will regard that as job done," an altogether different CRC spokesman told the BBC. And its not sure whether the proposed 50p-a-month levy on phone lines will generate enough cash to roll 2Mbit/s connections out across the UK either: "It starts to address the issue but there are lots of unanswered questions and issues about whether it will provide enough funding," he said.