Lord Carter promises universal broadband access

Broadband access will be guaranteed to every household in the country, according to a draft report by Lord Carter on the future of the telecoms and media industries.

The communications minister and former head of Ofcom is set to propose a “universal service commitment” to broadband – which would provide minimum download speeds of 2 megabits per second to every household that wants it by 2012.

The proposal for universal broadband access is expected to be the central to a report due for publication this month.

According to Ofcom, about 40 per cent of homes did not have broadband at the end of last year, and some households – especially in remote areas – did not have the necessary infrastructure to secure it.

Speaking at a meeting at Westminster yesterday, Lord Carter stressed that broadband was no longer seen as a “niche service for the technologically keen”. “It is an enabling and transformatory service and therefore we have to look at how we universalise it,” he added.

It would be up to the private sector to carry out the commitment, but would be divided between both fixed-line and mobile operators, because it is likely to be too costly to roll out wired broadband networks to all.

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