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Broadband USO 'will improve services across the UK'
Thursday 19th March 2009, by Daniel King
The UK's plan for a universal service obligation (USO) for broadband represents a "significant" step towards improving coverage and enabling high-speed access for all, it has been claimed.
Ofcom chief Ed Richards said take-up of basic broadband services has surged in recent years, but pointed out that many households are still not connected to the internet.
Speaking at the London School of Economics this week, Mr Richards suggested that more must be done to tackle this problem and ensure that a "decent basic broadband service" is available to everyone.
He leant his support to communications minister Lord Carter's proposals to introduce a USO that would see all households in the UK entitled to broadband speeds of at least 2Mbps.
Mr Richards said this would play a major part in helping to fill in the "gaps of availability" around the UK , as well as laying the foundations for faster speeds and improved services in the future.
"There is almost no overstating how important it is to make sure we have the right circumstances for the next generation of broadband," he insisted.
His comments have since been welcomed by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), which said it was "delighted" that Mr Richards had acknowledged "the true picture of digital exclusion".
The group said the problem was particularly prevalent in more remote regions, with more than 1,000 people living in rural areas currently "desperate for faster internet connections".
"We are, therefore, repeating our calls for a public/private sector initiative to deliver fast internet access to every door," said CLA president Henry Aubrey-Fletcher.
Categories: Broadband
