UK rural companies warn of poor broadband links

Half of the UK’s small rural companies are unhappy with their broadband provision according to research by the Federation of Small Businesses.

They were almost twice as dissatisfied as their urban peers. The FSB predicted the problem would become worse over the next two years as technology advances and high-quality broadband connections become more important to doing business. The FSB said the lack of broadband infrastructure for small companies “threatens the expansion of the £400bn rural economy”, which includes more than one million small businesses. The FSB research highlighted particular concerns over reliability, upload and download speeds." This research paints a worrying picture of a divided business broadband landscape in the UK, and unless addressed highlights a clear obstacle to growth,” said Mike Cherry, national policy chairman at the FSB.