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Widespread super-fast broadband 'would help UK economy flourish'
Wednesday 17th February 2010, by Daniel King
Widespread super-fast broadband would spark growth in the UK's online economy and help the country out of recession, according to an industry body.
CMA, part of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, believes that current plans by the Labour and Conservative parties will not achieve the deep broadband penetration required quickly enough to drive growth of the economy.
The strategy outlined by Labour would see a 50 pence levy on every landline each month to fund the development of the UK's broadband infrastructure, while the Conservatives have pledged to divert some of the BBC licence fee into achieving nationwide broadband penetration by 2017.
However, CMA believes that this is all too cautious and will not help create the flourishing online economy that it highlights is the future of the UK's economy.
CMA has called for all major political parties to commit to providing universal, affordable, high-speed, symmetrical broadband before 2017, while encouraging authorities to invest in online services.
These are actions the body believe necessary to help the UK catch up with other leading nations. Currently, the UK only just scrapes into the top 30 nations in terms of broadband quality score. A rating that could hamper industry attempts to take advantage of future technological developments.
Carolyn Kimber, CMA chairman, said: "For businesses, trading online means attracting customers from anywhere in the world, leading to massive opportunities for UK enterprises. As soon as we build the road, the business will surely come."
In Scotland, where many systems are already at close to full capacity, the government has agreed a deal with BT to upgrade the country's broadband capabilities to take advantage of state-of-the-art connections.
Categories: Broadband
