To mark its ten year anniversary, rural affairs lobby group the Country Land and Business Association has called on the government to fulfil its pledge to roll out a rural broadband network by 2015. On Monday (24th September), CLA’s president announced that the government should ensure all rural residents can “benefit from an effective and affordable broadband connection” within the next two years.

The government had pledged to roll out “Europe’s best” rural broadband network, claiming this would stimulate growth in the rural economy by removing one of the barriers to communication and business in rural regions. However, between 15 and 20 percent of those who live in rural areas are still unable to receive anywhere near the Government's benchmark of two Megabits per second (Mbps).

The CLA has noted that, in addition to the present shortcomings in rural broadband coverage, the government is unlikely to meet its target of universal coverage by 2015. The government has also pledged to roll out ‘superfast’ broadband to half of the UK population by that time, though progress has been slow.

On Monday, CLA President Harry Cotterell said, "Broadband acts as an economic driver for rural businesses as well as helping the social development of rural communities.”

"We have set out our first-ever rural broadband policy because we believe the Government must do more to help the countryside. By seeking to form a strategic alliance with other rural interest groups to agree common objectives, we can help to deliver a comprehensive broadband strategy. So, we are calling on the Government to step up and agree to a Universal Service Obligation rather than just a Commitment.”

Mr Cotteral said that the government should make its commitment legally binding in order to expedite work to address the rural-urban ‘digital divide’ which has emerged in the past few years. The CLA president said, “Until a fixed-line broadband infrastructure is put in place, other technologies must be used to bridge the digital divide. The CLA advocates a "patchwork-quilt" model whereby other technologies, such as wi-fi and satellite become widely available and used. But the Government must create the right conditions for this happen."

In addition to seeking alliances with similar organisations, the CLA has called on the government to make contracts for broadband delivery performance-based. Although the government has said it is confident that measures to expand broadband coverage are on track, the CLA has said the government’s current method of delivery is not working and is potentially jeopardising social and economic development in rural Britain. The association suggested local authorities’ approach to tendering contracts for broadband delivery may be partly responsible for the scheme’s slow progress.

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