2Mbps broadband rollout delay 'inevitable'
Wednesday 21st July 2010
Businesses should not be surprised at the government's decision to delay the rollout of universal 2Mbps broadband, it has been claimed.
Chris Marling, editor of BroadbandGenie.co.uk, said the decision to push back the project deadline from 2012 to 2015 was always likely in light of the government's austerity measures.
Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, announced last week that the government would be unable to honour Labour's pledge to provide businesses across the UK with the minimum connection speed within three years.
The news may have come as blow to businesses operating in the countryside in particular, where poor coverage and connectivity limit their ability to make the most of managed hosting services.
Mr Marling said the decision was "disappointing" but "hardly surprising", given that the 50p per month landline tax, designed to fund the project, was axed by the Con-Lib coalition.
However, he expressed the view that the delay will not have much impact on the UK in the short-term, as progress is also slow on the continent in this area at present.
Written by Tim Dunton