An Ofcom Consumer Panel has stated that policymakers should consider allowing regions that do not have first generation broadband to go straight to next generation access (NGA).

A number of ways that this could be achieved were posited by the panel, one of which was the drawing of a map to identify areas with poor coverage, reports ISP Review.

This would enable the potential costs and benefits to be properly assessed before any action was taken.

Anna Bradley, chairperson of the consumer panel, commented: "We already know that the economic case for next generation access will not stack up in some areas and we can predict which areas that will be."

She added that the obvious move was to address these problems "alongside the commercial roll out", not once it had already happened.

Research conducted by thinkbroadband.com earlier this year found that rural areas of the UK, particularly Wales and Northern Ireland, compared to cities such as London which enjoy far faster connections, according to ThisisMoney.co.uk.


Thursday, 4th September 2008

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