Mind the Gap

The new report from Commission for Rural Communities shows that while rural areas are at the back of the queue in the roll out for next generation broadband, they have a greater need for its services.

Mind the Gap http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/files/CRC104%20Digital%20Inclusion%20Report.pdf shows that while only 70% of homes in rural areas have access to any broadband rural users are more likely to use it for transactions and homeworking - as well as entertainment.

The problem of course is that while demand from individuals and businesses is demonstrably higher, there are less of them per kilometre than in urban areas so are more costly to serve.

The report makes a strong case for improving broadband services in rural areas in terms of the local community, rural economy, environment (reducing car journeys) and efficient and effective delivery of public services of the sort pioneered by DC10Plus members. It calls for a series of actions by government - not just looking at alternative ways to support broadband investment but also supporting communities themselves to find innovative solutions to their broadband needs.

If we want to avoid the alternative of people and businesses being forced to move to cities if they are to get access to the connectivity they need, the needs of rural communities should be high on the agenda of government.

Listen to Crispin Moor and Liz Peel from the CRC and Justin Griggs at NALC at the launch of the Mind the Gap report in Westminster.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 9:48. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can also leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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