The chancellor, George Osborne, revealed that broadband internet would become a basic legal right under proposals laid out in the last budget before the general election. This comes after the strong recommendation by a House of Lords report in February that internet access should be reclassified as a public utility.
The plans, which aim to create a “universal service obligation for online access”, could help people in the most rural areas of the UK – where internet speeds and coverage are traditionally poor – to receive much better broadband. This will increase the number of people that can run their own business from home, keep up to date with the latest Netflix series or shop online to their heart’s content, amongst other things.
The government, as part of its digital communications infrastructure strategy, is keen to give consumers the power to pressure telecom companies over broadband speeds. They want companies to install broadband lines no slower than 5 megabits per second (Mbps) – the current national average is 20Mbps - to homes and offices.
In addition, ambitions for a national minimum broadband speed of 100Mbps were outlined by Osborne, as the UK bids to keep pace with its European counterparts on the global digital stage. The chancellor also promised £600m towards advancing mobile internet, funding for Wi-Fi in public libraries, and installation of satellite broadband in isolated rural regions by way of government grants.
Osborne insisted he is committed to bringing ultrafast broadband to nearly all of the population. While the government’s own strategy paper describes this ambition as “challenging”, ultrafast broadband would significantly improve the speed at which films and music could be downloaded. In this age of Spotify, iTunes, YouTube and online gaming, people will no longer stand for delays and buffering. They want fast, efficient, reliable broadband that rarely lets them down.
The benefits to those living in rural areas will perhaps be greatest. For too long now, people in these locations have been cut off and left behind when it comes to internet access. They have been promised much, but these promises have seldom been followed through. Business, education and entertainment have been affected and restricted by those in rural areas having to rely on archaic dial-up internet.
It’s therefore unsurprising that rural communities have welcomed these proposals. Sarah Lee, Countryside Alliance head of policy, said: “For those rural communities that have not been connected so far, it’s a light at the end of the tunnel for them. We are very supportive of a universal service obligation, but research shows for everyday uses 10Mbps is the optimum level.”
The proposed 5Mbps will provide a good enough service for those using things like iPlayer, Netflix and Amazon Prime, but as the number of people using smartphones, tablets and laptops increases, the greater likelihood there is of two or more people in the same household using high-bandwidth services at the same time. In other words, improvements are still needed to meet the demands of an increasingly technological and online-driven world.
As we discussed in a previous blog, more people are using the internet than ever before and traditional habits are now changing. For example, students and the younger generation are swerving live TV in favour of shows – such as House of Cards, Orange is the New Black and Better Call Saul – that are being aired exclusively online. These services rely on a good and uninterrupted internet connection.
At TenTel we fully understand the importance of the internet to 21st century living. We endeavour to provide our customers with the fastest, most flexible, best value for money no contract broadband packages. Our bundles start from just £2.99 a month, with our unlimited package costing £9.99 a month.
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