TORY plans to ensure the majority of homes have superfast broadband by 2017 have been branded too slow.

Tory proposals would see high speed internet access across rural areas as well as cities, should the Conservatives form the next government.

But rual business leaders said seven years was too long to wait and action was needed sooner.

The Tories claim their plan would help turn the UK from one of the slowest countries in the world for broadband to one of the fastest.

Shadow rural affairs minister Jim Paice MP said: “Our proposals to deliver superfast broadband will benefit town and country, leaving no rural community behind."

Any underspend from the government's digital switchover fund would be used to establish a universal broadband network of 2 Mbps by 2012.

This approach could be continued post 2012, said Mr Paice.

The Tories would force BT to open their infrastructure to other operators so high speeds could be delivered to "even the most windswept reaches of the country".

Rural businesses were increasingly expected to deal with the government online and it was vital they were able to do using high speed connections.

But business leaders said the UK needs an "adequate and effective" broadband speed to every home much sooner.

The Country Land and Business Association said the government must act now to increase broadband speeds in rural areas.

CLA president William Worsley said: "It is fundamental to the economic well-being of rural Britain that adequate and effective broadband is available to every home now."

By 2017, many rural businesses would either have gone to the wall or relocated to areas where fast broadband speeds were available.

"Before we had motorways we had a basic road network. This is currently not the case for broadband."

Mr Worsley added: "First we need to get the basics right and provide a suitable broadband connection to the 20% of rural areas that have no access.

"This is the priority and requires immediate investment."

The Tory suggestion of using TV licence fee funds was justified because media outlets such as the BBC were driving the need for greater broadband speeds.

But this investment and plans for a 50p broadband levy on telephone lines would not provide anywhere near the resources needed, Mr Worsley warned.

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Fibre for all
written by Spalding, February 08, 2010

Not a breakfast cereal by the way! Before the cork pops out of the bottle and the flood of house building begins again, I hope somebody has the sense to see that the first step in achieving any sort of connectivity for households is to have fibre optic connections to every new dwelling. The cost of retro-fitting is one of the things that prevents more marginal areas from receiving any such service and will continue to do so. I do hope the fibre optic industry isn't sitting on its hand and waiting for the government to subsidise them like the wind farm industry!

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