FSB claims government 'stuck in time warp' with broadband plans

The government has been described as being ‘stuck in a time warp’ with regards to its broadband plans for small businesses in the future, with one business group claiming that the government is ‘playing it safe’.

Labour ministers have recently promised that by 2012 there will be universal access to broadband in the UK with speeds of up to 2Mbps, and these plans have formed part of the recently released Digital Britain Report. However, one major industry group, the Federation of Small Businesses has claimed that the government is ‘stuck in a time warp’ and lets small businesses down with its plans.

Previously the plans by the government had been slated by opposition parties, but they are now also being slated by various industry groups such as the Federation of Small Businesses. The FSB has said that a third of its members already had 2Mbps broadband but that this was not enough to allow them to carry out some of the most basic tasks online.

An official from the FSB said: “The Federation of Small Businesses welcomes the government’s commitment to ensure universal access to fast broadband, but warns the expected 2mbps by 2012 lacks ambition and shows the UK is in a time-warp.” He said that six out of ten small businesses that were polled wanted the broadband speed to be stepped up to at least 8Mbps.

Another industry expert added: “The recent government plans to increase the spread of broadband speeds in Britain do not go anywhere near far enough. The government plan is essentially to ‘tinker’ with the broadband speed rather than solving the underlying issue. The fact is that the UK is using old technology – its copper infrastructure – and this desperately needs to be upgraded to fibre optic in order to satisfy businesses requirements now and into the future.”

Source – www.contractoruk.com