Culture secretary talks tough on rural broadband

The culture secretary is pushing for a more open internet infrastructure

The government is pushing ahead with plans to increase the availability of broadband services, explaining that faster rural connections are needed to kickstart the digital economy.

Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt announced a range of measures designed to encourage investment in high-speed connections in an attempt to curb the digital divide between urban and rural areas.

The government will push for a more open internet infrastructure to reduce the costs associated with laying new fibre, according to Hunt, and will introduce legislation if needed.

"If legislation is necessary to require other infrastructure providers to open up their assets as well, then I am ready to bring it to the House as soon as parliamentary time can be found," he said.

"We have to make sure that the benefits of superfast broadband are available to everyone, including those in rural areas.

"The action plan I have set out today will help create a broadband infrastructure for our country that meets the needs of all its citizens and businesses, and that will stand comparison with anywhere in the world."

Hunt insisted that previous broadband plans of a "paltry 2Mbit/s universal connection" did not go far enough, and that it was "pitifully unambitious" when compared to other countries.

"It is a scandal that nearly three million households in this country still cannot access 2Mbit/s broadband speeds, and less than one per cent of the country is able to access the internet using modern fibre optic technology compared to an OECD average of around 10 per cent," he said.