PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
BROADBAND ACCESS (3 December 2002)

That this House notes the increasing importance of broadband to the UK; notes that there are approximately 5,500 exchanges in the UK of which approximately 1,200 have now been enabled to provide ADSL broadband via BT, the majority of which are located in urban areas; further notes that many rural businesses are unable to access affordable broadband services and are therefore at a commercial disadvantage to urban-based competitors; notes the campaign of the Country Land and Business Association in seeking the faster roll-out of affordable broadband in rural areas and commends the CLA and others for generating increased levels of interest in this area; calls upon BT and other infrastructure providers to be transparent and open in their promotion of the current and future availability of affordable broadband in rural areas; encourages all concerned to work with Government and other stakeholders to facilitate further roll-out; urges the Government to maximise the opportunities for its own departments to co-ordinate their efforts in providing this infrastructure; and encourages all levels of Government to facilitate projects offering higher bandwidth than ADSL in rural areas.

Sponsored by:
Lord Knight of Weymouth (Labour)