Broadband policies to have impact on election result
New research suggests as many as almost one in five people may be influenced in how they vote at the upcoming General Election by broadband policy.
A survey of 2,500 people conducted by Cable.co.uk found that 18 per cent may decide how to vote depending on the broadband pledges each party has made in the run-up to the election.
Cable.co.uk editor-in-chief Dan Howdle explained that one in five households in the UK do not have superfast broadband deals and it is no coincidence this is the same proportion of people who could change their vote due to broadband policy.
He said: "No doubt this is, in part at least, due to the fact that no party manifesto has promised to roll out superfast broadband to 100 per cent of households, and to a deadline acceptable to those whose homes, businesses and children's' educations are respectively isolated, diminished or stunted by poor connectivity."
People taking part in the research stated that they want a minimum broadband speed of 32Mbps on average, which is a speed that is 600 times faster than the speed broadband providers are currently legally obliged to supply.
The Labour Party has promised to deliver “affordable, high speed broadband” to all of the UK if it wins the next election, while the Conservatives pledge to make ultrafast broadband – which is speeds of 100Mbps or more – available to "nearly all UK premises as soon as practicable".
Next Thursday (7 May) will see the UK vote on the next government and the polls are currently neck and neck between the two main parties.
But the Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA) has called for parties to be more ambitious about the future of broadband in the UK. ISPA secretary general Nicholas Lansman stated that a "clear and detailed vision for the internet and communications sector" is needed.
Businesses looking to move services into the cloud should evaluate the performance of their existing network and consider setting up a leased line or MPLS network.
(Image: Rama)
