Broadband ‘should be treated as vital utility’

NORTH Yorkshire’s Rural Commission is calling on the Government to treat reliable high-quality broadband provision in the same way as other essential utilities like water and electricity.

Hearing evidence from private and public sector broadband providers, commissioners said access to good-quality broadband has never been more important given the volume of remote working during the pandemic.

They also heard a national approach including more widely accessible voucher schemes and toolkits could help stimulate community-led broadband programmes in remote areas.

Commission chair the Very Rev Dean John Dobson said a window of opportunity had been provided by the national crisis “that cannot be missed”.

He said decisions affecting local communities needed to be made in North Yorkshire, adding: “We must empower communities to work in a more dynamic way directly with providers.”

Rural Commissioner Dr Debbie Trebilco added: “Broadband and mobile technology need to be seen in exactly the same way as other essential utilities, like water and electricity – as a humanitarian right, to support mental and physical health, education and jobs.”

David Burns, managing director of Boundless Networks, a private sector provider, said there was no single solution and the sector could make more of what it already has – including wireless outdoor wireless technologies.

“Targeted local approaches can be really helpful in finding the right solution,” he added.

Superfast broadband has been rolled out to 92 per cent of the population of North Yorkshire, but around 49,000 people still have no broadband coverage.

The commission was set up by North Yorkshire County Council to provide independent insight into the complex issues which need to be tackled to reverse rural decline.