The UK Government needs to do more to address the ‘digital divide’ between urban and rural areas in terms of the availability of broadband, according to a study out this week.
However, there is concern over the slow progress of broadband rollout in rural areas. The report quotes figures from The Countryside Agency which show that only 7% of residents in rural villages have access to DSL or cable broadband and the figure is as low as 1% in remote rural areas (see Countryside Appeals For Broadband Injection).
The Committee is calling on the Government to draw up a timetable for the complete rollout of broadband services and allocate adequate resources to support that policy. It also recommends that means should be developed for rural internet users to “piggy-back” on public infrastructure.
The broadband disparity between rural and urban areas is a hot topic and formed the basis of a recent conference organised by The Access to Broadband Campaign (ABC) (see UK Conference To Debate Broadband Divide).