Britain unveils plans for universal broadband

Britain plans to provide universal broadband access in a bid to make the country more competitive and help drag it out of recession. A report by Communications minister Lord Carter said Britain would work to provide Internet access to the whole country at around 2 Megabits per second (Mb) through a mixture of fixed and wireless connections by 2012. Carter also intends to introduce legislation to force Internet service providers to crack down on Web piracy, will form a body to promote UK content and copyright, and will look to allow broadcasters to adapt to the changing times. Currently, around 60 percent of the country takes broadband, while some 99 percent has access to it, but not always at the required 2 Mb speed. Welcoming the Carter proposals, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Britain would look to support the 52 billion-pound ($73.37 billion) industry as it would play a crucial part in lifting the country out of the recession.