BT resists legal right to speedy internet for all

BT, Britain’s biggest broadband provider, is pushing against David Cameron’s plans to give every family a legal right to fast internet.

The disclosure raised fears that the Government will fail to deliver on its pledge of fast broadband for all households within four years.

Last November the Prime Minister described a speed of 10 mega bits per second as a “universal service obligation” which would be signed into law. However Ed Vaizey, the digital economy minister, admitted last month that it was only a “near-universal” roll-out.

The Daily Telegraph launched its Better Broadband campaign last week after the Government said it would not extend fast broadband automatically to the five per cent of the UK who do not have it because some people in rural areas do not “want to be connected”.

An estimated million families will have to apply for a 10mbps service. Mr Cameron has confirmed the universal obligation will be included in next week’s Queen’s Speech.

BT, which is rolling out fast broadband with the help of a £1 billion subsidy, wants to avoid a legal obligation.

A government source said BT had effectively told ministers “to pass the law but you don’t have to enact it, give us a chance to do it ourselves”.

A BT spokesman confirmed its concerns but said it was “not in a fight with the Government”.

Grant Shapps, a former Tory minister, said a voluntary approach threatened the pledge of fast broadband for all and that BT was “in for a nasty shock”. Tim Farron, the Lib Dem leader, said the 10 mbps pledgewas like “taking a ‘ride-on’ lawn mower to a Grand Prix”.