Broadband as important as water
A recent face-to-face survey with 2000 people across the UK alongside 16 focus groups, comprised of both the digitally savvy through to those who don't even own a mobile, has uncovered that 73% of them now consider the provision of broadband to be as essential as the supply of gas, electricity and water.
Undertaken by the Communications Consumer Panel set up to advise Government and Ofcom on the UK population’s communications needs, the research is a timely snapshot of the universal view on digital connectivity. Anna Bradley, chairman of the Communications Consumer Panel, said: "The key message is that people think broadband is at a tipping point.
"It's fantastically useful for everyone, essential for some now, but will be essential for everyone in the near future.
"It is being compared by consumers to gas and electricity – things which they think we all ought to have access to, almost as a right." The question is, can Lord Carter’s final Digital Britain report due for publication on 16th June, setting out a list of recommendations to the Government in order to help it deliver the promise of 2Mbps (mega bits per second) to all by 2012, a promise that was met with a large dose of cynicism not least because 3m UK homes are currently going without, deliver the goods?
Website, SamKnows.com recently created a map of so-called notspots (picture above) which revealed that it wasn’t just rural areas that remained unconnected or suffered from very slow delivery, but many sub-urban areas and even streets in major cities.
The map was created by comparing a sample of UK postcodes with a database of information detailing which providers offered services in the 5,500 telephone exchanges across the UK. Then, by working out how far properties were from a particular exchange, they were able to generate a map of the UK’s speed of services clearly showing where the crucial line length issue will be hard to resolve.
"We had assumed that these notspots were in remote parts of the countryside. That may be where the most vocal campaigners are but there is a high incidence of them in commuter belts," said Alex Salter, co-founder of SamKnows.
Another reason for the reaction to the 2Mbps recommendation is that the UK is already falling behind the rest of the world when it comes to high-speed delivery with some countries enjoying 100Mbps, or even 1GBPS enabling a film to be downloaded in the time it takes to make a cup of tea.
One important emerging factor now, however, is that broadband for all has become a matter of economics. As more and more companies are offering better deals online, those with either a painfully slow connection (1Mbps) or no connection at all are unable to enjoy the same benefits as other consumers. Charities for the elderly for example point out that three-quarters of those over the age of 65 have never been on the internet and, as a result, have to pay far more for basics such as gas and electricity.
It remains to be seen if Lord Carter’s report will address all of the above, but what is clear is that solving the issue of the increasing digital divide is no longer desirable, it’s essential.
Image by samknows
