Committee to probe broadband services
Members of Parliaments (MPs) are to launch an investigation into broadband in the UK amid concerns about rolling out superfast services to some parts of the country.
The government wants to roll-out superfast broadband to 95 per cent of the UK by 2017, but what will come of the remaining five per cent has become an increasingly heated debate in recent weeks. Last week the Financial Times reported that a senior figure in Westminster has revealed the government is set to introduce an industry levy worth millions of pounds on internet service providers (ISPs) to help fund the infrastructure required to provide superfast broadband speeds to the entire UK.
Now it has been announced that MPs are to conduct their own investigation into the issue; the Culture, Media and Sport Committee is to hold an inquiry into the coverage, delivery and performance of superfast broadband, as well as mobile coverage.
The unaccounted for five per cent are, at present, deemed not commercially viable - it includes remote islands, rural villages and hard-to-reach highland areas. Important to note, this final five per cent is not one specific area, but many very small areas that are purportedly spread across 70 per cent of the UK landmass.
In explaining the investigation, Conservative MP Jesse Norman, the committee chairman, said: “Proper digital connectivity is key both to the wellbeing of many communities and to Britain’s economic future.
“Yet many people and businesses are unable to receive the digital access and services they need.”
The committee will explore: the technical challenges of achieving this goal; what role the government, regulator Ofcom and industry should play in extending superfast broadband to these hard-to-reach premises; should more be invested in R&D for connectivity solutions in remote areas; how the existing government broadband programmes have been delivered.
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