PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
DEMAND BROADBAND (9 June 2002)

That this House applauds the launch of the CWU's Demand Broadband campaign which aims to raise the profile of the critical importance of broadband to Britain's economic and social well being; shares the CWU's belief that Broadband Britain provides the cutting edge for a modernising economy; notes that accessibility to broadband has improved considerably in the United Kingdom with around 65 per cent. of the country able to access broadband services but that there are only around 600,000 subscribers - less than 3 per cent. of domestic households; further notes that in February 2001 the Government set itself a target for broadband: to make the United Kingdom the most competitive and extensive broadband market in the G7 by 2005; supports the Governments commitment to rapid broadband roll-out and take-up but agrees with the CWU that the industry is unlikely to deliver universal access to broadband services and that there are risks in leaving this solely to the market, albeit with regulation, to deliver; and calls for wider consideration of how to ensure there are sufficient regulatory and commercial incentives in place to speed up broadband provision, whether a major education and awareness programme to publicise the benefits of broadband is required, whether one of OFCOM's strategic objectives to be included within the new Communications Bill should be the widespread provision of affordable access to broadband services and to what extent the substantial purchasing power of central and local government should be used, for example by making a commitment to connect every school, college, library, jobcentre and hospital in the country to broadband.

Sponsored by:
Lord Smith of Finsbury (Labour)