Broadband has now almost entirely replaced dial-up internet in Great Britain, with 93% of internet connected households using broadband compared with 84% in 2007, according to the Office for National Statistics. Just 2% of connected households used dial-up, compared with 16% cent in 2007. The remainder used only a mobile internet connection. (Office for National Statistics, August 2011)
Rural areas in England and Scotland have been allocated nearly £363 million to improve their broadband connections. Cumbria gets one of the largest shares of the £530m pot, with over £17 million to cope with its 96.2% of homes eligible for subsidies. By contrast, London gets nothing as it assumed that private investment will cover all parts of the capital.
It is a change of strategy for the government which originally asked counties to bid for money. Local authorities and residents will decide how the money should be spent.
County councils and private enterprise partnerships will be put in charge of broadband rollouts in their areas, and will be required to draw up delivery plans and find additional funding from elsewhere. It will be up to the Scottish government how to use the money in Scotland.
Areas receiving most funds:
- Cumbria: £17 million
- Devon and Somerset: £31.3 million
- East Sussex: £10.6 million
- Kent: £9.87 million
- Lancashire: £10.8 million
- Lincolnshire: £14.3 million
- Norfolk: £15.4 million
- North Yorkshire: £17.8 million
- Suffolk: £11.68 million
Wales and Northern Ireland have already been given their share of the £530 million broadband fund which was set aside from the TV licence fee.
The government hopes that by allocating money instead it will speed up the process. It has pledged to make the UK the best place in Europe for broadband by 2015.
Up to one third of UK homes will not get fast broadband services from the big commercial players without government subsidy. This is because the number of people living in rural areas versus the cost of creating a next-generation broadband do not represent a good return on their investment for players such as BT and Virgin Media.
But some have questioned whether the £530m will be enough to fill in the gaps. (BBC News Technology, August 2011)
Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has explained why fast internet access is vital across the UK and outlined plans for access to super-fast broadband by 2015. The private sector is to deliver broadband to two thirds of the UK. Other, mainly rural, areas will receive public funds to build a "digital hub" with a fibre optic internet connection. Ministers say they aim for the UK to have Europe's best broadband network.
The government has earmarked £830m for the scheme, with some of this money coming from funds given to the BBC to pay for the switch to digital TV.
Mr Hunt said the strategy would give the country Europe's best broadband network by 2015 and will be central to economic growth and the delivery of future public services, dependent on quick, reliable access to the internet.
A recent study by the regulator Ofcom revealed that fewer than 1% of UK homes have a super-fast broadband connection, considered to be at least 24Mbps. However, the government does not define the minimum speed it hopes super-fast services will achieve. (BBC, December 2010)
Last Updated on Wednesday, 01 February 2012 14:42
