Broadband key to job creation

Prime Minisiter Gordon Brown has revealed that the UK’s broadband network could be set for a major overhaul.

Speaking to the Observer, the prime minister announced that he is planning a widespread public investment programme, in an effort to reduce the effects of the downturn.

The scheme, which could create up to 100,000 jobs, will be similar to the policies Franklin D Roosevelt used to combat the US recession during the 1930s.

Like the former president, Mr Brown will focus capital expenditure toward projects such as improvements to the transport network and public buildings.

However, he also recognises the importance of the digital industry to job creation, which is why he regards the availability of high-speed broadband as a key part of the country’s potential economic recovery.

Mr Brown explained that building bridges and railways had been important “anti-recession measures” for President Roosevelt, but that there are now modern equivalents that need investment.

“You could [by comparison] talk about the digital infrastructure and that form of communications revolution at a period when we want to stimulate the economy. It’s a very important thing,” he told the newspaper.

Major steps have already been taken in the bid to increase broadband access, and the proportion of households with a broadband connection has risen from seven per cent to 60 per cent during the past five years, according to statistics from telecoms regulator Ofcom.

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