Lords to Government: 10Mbps is too slow – make it 30

The House of Lords has voted that the Government’s pledge to deliver a minimum of 10Mbps broadband by 2020 is not good enough, and has demanded it increases its target to 30Mbps. Its decision will be applauded by UK internet users, particularly those stuck on slow broadband in rural areas.

Labour peer Lord Mendelsohn tabled an amendment to the Digital Economy Bill, saying that 10Mbps would be “unfit for usage in a very short time”. He called for £2bn to be spent on providing minimum speeds of 30Mbps, rather than the proposed £1.1bn on 10Mbps.

These were two of the scenarios suggested by Ofcom in December when reporting to the Government about plans to introduce a Universal Service Obligation (USO) that gives everyone the legal right to demand fast broadband.

However, the Government is expected to reject the amendment. Speaking on behalf of the Government, Lord Ashton said that it shared Lords’ ambition for widespread fast broadband, but claimed that it could be hampered by EU regulations. He added: “The USO is a safety net to prevent social and economic exclusion – not a statement of ambition”.

The Lords also approved two amendments relating to mobile-phone use that call for a cap on monthly bills, and the power for customers to cancel contracts free of charge if they can’t get a signal when they move home. Supporters of the cap on bills, which would let customers set their own limit, said that it would prevent people from seeing costs spiral out of control.

Lib Dem Lord ClementJones backed the amendment, saying: “There may be in particular some danger of vulnerable customers getting into difficulty and it should be possible for a consumer to set a cap on expenditure on a mobile phone”.

But Conservative peer Baroness Buscombe argued that a cap would risk “putting people in a vulnerable situation”, such as being unable to make an emergency call.