Broadband Britain: we're being left in the digital slow lane

[Commentary] By the end of this Parliament, says Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, Britain should have "the best broadband network in Europe". Yet over the past few weeks, it has become clear that "Broadband Britain" is a project in crisis.

A study by the technology company Akamai confirms what has long been obvious: the UK is falling behind other countries. The average broadband speed here is 3.8 megabits per second - well behind South Korea, which leads the world with an average of 12 Mbps. Not only is our broadband network worse than those of Romania and Latvia, but in a recent list of the 100 fastest cities in the world for Internet access, ours were nowhere to be found. Why does this matter? Because high-speed broadband is rapidly becoming as basic and essential a service as the provision of water or electricity. It isn't just about providing access to time-wasting social media sites - it's about ensuring that Britons can run their businesses, do their shopping and access the latest news and local information. By 2015, it could also be the main way we watch television and buy music, films and books. By 2015, when our Government delivers its 2Mbps target, the people of Finland will be enjoying speeds that are at least 50 times as fast. We need to do better.