Slow broadband is holding Britain back
Fury over dismal connections in new homes
CAMPAIGNERS and businesses are demanding a guarantee that new homes across the country will get decent broadband.
After the Mail revealed one in eight new properties are getting sub-standard internet speeds, calls are growing for the Government to introduce laws more quickly that will ensure families get a good connection.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) warned broadband was a basic requirement and that a lack of action could hurt Britain’s economy.
Consumer group Which? and the Countryside Alliance also rounded on penny-pinching developers, saying it was unacceptable for families paying hundreds of thousands of pounds to be lumbered with homes that had poor connections.
Ministers have vowed to pass laws that will guarantee every new home is equipped with good broadband – but no legislation has been proposed.
Felicity Burch, the CBI’s director of innovation, said: ‘All new properties must have full fibre or other gigabit cables installed when they’re built, and new laws must give permission to firms to install connections in existing homes for private tenants.’
Mike Cherry, chairman of the FSB, said a lack of decent broadband was holding back firms in rural areas particularly.
He added: ‘As it stands, the UK lags behind several European nations to provide a fully operating fibre optic service, which means businesses and those who work from home are being left behind, further hampering the economy.’
Alex Neill, managing director of home services at Which?, said: ‘A decent broadband connection is a modern essential for most households so it is unacceptable that some property developers do not seem to be treating connectivity as a priority.’
And Sarah Lee, head of policy at the Countryside Alliance, said: ‘Communities in rural areas are often treated as second- class citizens when it comes to broadband connectivity. It is unacceptable in this modern age that developers are failing to include this essential service when they build new homes.’
On Tuesday, the Mail revealed thousands of properties continue to be built that cannot even receive download speeds of 10 megabits per second, which the Government says should be a minimum. And even though ministers have proposed all new homes should get fibre optic connections – the best available – around four in ten homes are still built without these. A Government spokesman this week vowed to tackle the problem but was unable to say when new laws would be brought forward.
He said: ‘We’ve recently consulted on making full fibre mandatory for new homes and will outline next steps in due course.’
Have you had problems with broadband in a new-build home? Please write to us at broadband@dailymail.co.uk and leave your name and a contact number