Prime Minister David Cameron has labelled the government’s plans for super-fast broadband as one of his “big plans” aimed at transforming and improving the UK’s infrastructure, a move he believes will return the economy to growth.
In his new year message, Cameron acknowledged that “much needs to change” if the British economy is to be brought back to a state where growth is a possibility. Government sponsored rolling out of super-fast broadband, new homes being built around the country plus improved roads and railways will all contribute to the achieving of this goal.
Mr Cameron said: “This will be the year Britain sees the world and the world sees Britain. It must be the year we go for it – the year the coalition government I lead does everything it takes to get our country up to strength. I profoundly believe that we can turn these things around.”
The coalition government has been extremely vocal in promoting its aim to get Britain connected to the best super-fast broadband network in Europe by the end of 2015, although as yet they have failed to specify an exact target. The plan is to give every home and business in the UK access to super-fast broadband & phone packages.
To achieve this goal, the government has set aside £530 million of funds to help with the installation of faster broadband services in areas of the UK that private telecoms companies will not take responsibility for, having deemed them ‘not economically viable’.
The Countryside Alliance criticised the government’s broadband plan in December, revealing that although four rural areas were chosen to pilot the super-fast broadband scheme, as of the end of 2011, not one had actually started work on the new network.
Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt recently announced a deadline for local authorities to apply for funding, in a bid to get the initiative rolling.