A consumer watchdog has stated recently that the government will have to put far more thought into how to try and increase the take-up of broadband services in the UK.

It has become evident that both the Labour government and opposition parties are keen to try and get more and more people online via broadband connections. There are still many people that do not have broadband connections, and whilst in some cases this is due to lack of access to broadband services based on geographical area there are also many people that do not have broadband service for other reasons.

A consumer watchdog has now stated that in order to try and get an increasing number of people connected to broadband services in the UK the government will have to put a lot more thought into its strategies. In its Broadband Minded report the group, Consumer Focus, said that getting more people to sign up to broadband services will take a lot more than just lowering the price of broadband services or extending access to these services.

According to the consumer group many people have failed to get broadband services because of fears over viruses or identity theft, and rather than just focusing on the cost and availability of broadband the government will have to look at highlighting the benefits of having broadband to those that may otherwise remain too fearful or sceptical over these services to sign up to them.

An official from Consumer Focus, Mike O’Connor, said: “Millions of people are still not online, many of them on low incomes. Only by dealing with consumers’ fears and promoting the online benefits that appeal to those on low incomes will more people be encouraged to get connected.”

Source – Cable