Faster Broadband for All Is Now Closer to Reality in the UK

Residents of rural United Kingdom are one step closer to gaining access to faster internet services capable of streaming high-definition TV shows and movies. The British Parliament passed a law giving the government authority to introduce a universal service obligation that would require broadband download speeds of 10 megabits a second for the remaining 5 percent of the population that don’t have access to that level of service -- about 1.4 million homes. To subscribe to online video services that have become increasingly popular around the world, you need fast a broadband connection. Almost 250,000 UK premises can’t get speeds higher than 2 megabits, and more than 600,000 can’t get 5, according to a report in 2016 from Ofcom, the UK communications regulator.

The vote follows months of discussions between Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative government and BT Group Plc, the former British phone monopoly, about offering basic broadband in rural areas. Implementation of the law will be the responsibility of a future government, with British voters heading to the polls on June 8 for a general election called earlier this month. The broadband provision was part of the Digital Economy Bill, among several rushed through Parliament before shutting down in advance of the election.