Our thinking about broadband is all wrong. That's according to the Lords communications committee, who have said in a report that our focus on high speeds risks communities losing out on internet access.
Rather, we should be focussed on how many people can access the service, according to the report.
The priority should be to close the digital divide between those with access and those without.
Though speeds shouldn't completely fall by the wayside, the report says. Fast internet services should be treated as a national asset, on a par with roads, rail and energy.
Impact on daily lives
The report says there's a real risk of leaving some people and businesses behind, and that "inadequate access to the internet and all its benefits is actually afflicting their daily lives."
It went on: "The delivery of certain speeds should not be the guiding principle; what is important is the long term assurance that as new internet applications emerge, everyone will be able to benefit, from inhabitants of inner cities to the remotest areas of the UK."
2015 to aim for
The government has promised we'll have the best superfast broadband in Europe by 2015. In the budget, the government announced 10 cities would become 'super-connected', along with a subsequent 10 smaller cities.
This should bring ultrafast broadband to 1.7 million homes, and high speed Wi-Fi to three million people by 2015.
We should have 4G up and running by then too, which should help connect previously cutoff areas.
Via: BBC
