Ministers plan to make universal broadband a ‘must-have’ in UK

The government has outlined plans to make universal broadband of 10 mbps a service everyone in the UK must have by 2020.

Legislation will be brought forward to give the secretary of state the power to introduce a broadband universal service obligation that puts it on the same footing as other essential utilities, such as electricity and water. Meeting this goal could be funded by companies in the sector, public funding or a combination of the two. Ministers have also been exploring options for extending superfast broadband coverage beyond its 95 per cent by 2017 goal. However, a consultation document published on Wednesday makes it clear that without the USO, the government will not otherwise commit to subsidising access for the remaining 5 per cent of the UK. This would neither be “proportionate or represent value for money” it said. Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, will undertake a detailed analysis of the USO. It could also be asked to review it after it has been applied, to ensure it reflects what customers need.