UK launches new body for universal broadband push

The new government body responsible for rolling out next-generation broadband across the UK will begin its work on 4 March, Digital Britain minister Stephen Timms announced. Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) will be responsible for the 2 Mbps universal service commitment for 90 percent of the country by 2017, with GBP 1 billion allocated for the job.

The group was launched as the UK government published a report by Analysys Mason on next generation broadband across the UK, which will be used by BDUK to priority communities who could benefit from the Next Generation Fund. The report looks at three scenarios, a purely market-led approach, a network subsidized by the Digital Britain Next Generation Fund and, local interventions supplementing a subsidized network.