Broadband News
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Faster broadband: Reactions to Gordon Brown's next generation for all speech
23 Mar 2010 | 15.05 Europe/London
Reactions are starting to come in on Gordon Browns’ speech yesterday in which he promised next generation access for all by 2020.
The Conservatives and Labour party differ on how they would fund this, with the Tories suggesting spare cash from the tv digital switchover fund should be used rather than the current proposal for a 50p levy on phone lines for ‘the final third’.
Nevertheless the Broadband Stakeholders Group has welcomed the fact that although both parties may have different proposals for how they would achieve nationwide access to next generation broadband, at least both realise its importance to future growth in the economy.
Lack of private business opportunities
However, although the CBI welcomed the commitment to next generation broadband, it feared that the government is set to not allow private business to play as large a role in the government services which will one day be offered across the nation’s faster broadband network, as Susan Anderson, CBI Director for Public Services and Skills, said:
“Next-generation broadband has great potential in both the private and state sectors. We welcome the Government’s commitment to stimulating demand for it by providing state-run services over the internet.
“Innovations such as online consultations with GPs and teaching via the internet could help deliver better-quality services for consumers, and save the taxpayer money.
“However, we are concerned that the Government’s intention to create state-owned ‘business service companies’ could actually backfire by preventing commercial companies from competing for contracts. It would be better to create a level playing field to encourage competition and efficiency.”
First fix normal broadband
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has been quick to point out that, as befits the ‘Final Third First’ campaign it is back, talking of next generation by 2020 is one thing, getting rural communities on broadband in the first place is quite another, as CLA President William Worsley sums up.
“Of course it would be good if everyone in the country had access to superfast broadband. We are not disputing that,” he says.
“However, many people in rural communities currently have no or very slow broadband, and the priority must be to get them up to a speed of at least two megabits per second.
“We find it ironic that the Prime Minister is talking about the risk of a digital divide when one already exists. Gordon Brown said ‘just imagine if you were not part of that [broadband] world’. Unfortunately, many people in rural communities are in exactly this position.”
The Conservatives and Labour party differ on how they would fund this, with the Tories suggesting spare cash from the tv digital switchover fund should be used rather than the current proposal for a 50p levy on phone lines for ‘the final third’.
Nevertheless the Broadband Stakeholders Group has welcomed the fact that although both parties may have different proposals for how they would achieve nationwide access to next generation broadband, at least both realise its importance to future growth in the economy.
Lack of private business opportunities
However, although the CBI welcomed the commitment to next generation broadband, it feared that the government is set to not allow private business to play as large a role in the government services which will one day be offered across the nation’s faster broadband network, as Susan Anderson, CBI Director for Public Services and Skills, said:
“Next-generation broadband has great potential in both the private and state sectors. We welcome the Government’s commitment to stimulating demand for it by providing state-run services over the internet.
“Innovations such as online consultations with GPs and teaching via the internet could help deliver better-quality services for consumers, and save the taxpayer money.
“However, we are concerned that the Government’s intention to create state-owned ‘business service companies’ could actually backfire by preventing commercial companies from competing for contracts. It would be better to create a level playing field to encourage competition and efficiency.”
First fix normal broadband
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has been quick to point out that, as befits the ‘Final Third First’ campaign it is back, talking of next generation by 2020 is one thing, getting rural communities on broadband in the first place is quite another, as CLA President William Worsley sums up.
“Of course it would be good if everyone in the country had access to superfast broadband. We are not disputing that,” he says.
“However, many people in rural communities currently have no or very slow broadband, and the priority must be to get them up to a speed of at least two megabits per second.
“We find it ironic that the Prime Minister is talking about the risk of a digital divide when one already exists. Gordon Brown said ‘just imagine if you were not part of that [broadband] world’. Unfortunately, many people in rural communities are in exactly this position.”