Countryside Appeals For Broadband Injection

“Our countryside is a hive of economic activity that plays a major part in driving the national economy, but our report shows that restricted access to broadband is putting rural businesses and residents at a disadvantage,” said Countryside Agency chairman, Sir Ewen Cameron.

The agency’s latest survey shows that while 95% of urban households have access to affordable broadband internet services, only a quarter of market town residents are connected. Further down the chain, just 7% of rural villages can be reached by ADSL or cable broadband and this falls to 1% in remote rural areas.

Many countryside dwellers already feel cut off from the wider economy and Cameron believes that central government has a responsibility to meet the online needs of rural communities.

“New technologies, such as broadband, also offer residents access to essential services that no longer have a physical presence locally. In particular, young people living in remoter areas need the same access to the latest entertainment, education and training, delivered through broadband, if they are not to feel disadvantaged compared to their urban counterparts.”

The government is aware of the broadband disparity between town and country and is agencies and local authorities are being encouraged to help fund schemes that will bring high-speed internet services to those currently disenfranchised (see BT Urged To Cut Internet Fees).