UK local government says “there is still much work to do” to connect to allow the UK to catch up with other countries when it comes to our use of broadband.
That’s a catch up signalled at the end of last week by UK media regulator’s Connected Nations 2016 report, which found that, “For a significant number of consumers, and in many parts of the country, fixed broadband speeds are slow and mobile coverage is poor or indeed non-existent.”
The study also found that only 80% of British SMEs (1.9 million) have access to superfast services, compared to 89% of all premises, which the body says leaves almost 480,000 SMEs without access to superfast broadband. Almost 192,000 SMEs cannot currently access speeds above 10Mbit/s.
In a response on the Local Government Association (LGA) website, Cllr Mark Hawthorne, Chairman of the body’s People and Places Board, urges the government to implement a Universal Service Obligation that “provides a minimum download speed, rising in line with national averages, and guarantees consistent performance of other elements which make for a good quality internet connection, such as upload speed”.
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Hawthorne also says LGA’s members “are ready and willing to work with mobile operators”, in partnership with communities, “to help find the best locations for new mobile infrastructure masts” to solve the on-going problem of ‘not spots’ (areas of poor or even zero urban mobile connectivity).
“Good digital connectivity, whether it’s broadband to your home, or mobile coverage wherever you are, is a vital element of everyday life for residents,” he adds.
The LGA also says it welcomes evidence Ofcom has found that there’s some shrinkage of the digital divide, and the positive impact of the £740m Superfast Broadband Programme, and it is looking forward to more details of the promised £1.1bn Digital Infrastructure Fund announced as part of the Autumn Statement.
It says it believes “councils have a key role to play” in ensuring this investment helps address the needs of those communities and business that remain at risk of digital exclusion.
