Steve Double, Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay, has welcomed BT’s offer to provide the infrastructure for 99% of premises in the UK to get broadband speeds of at least 10 megabits per second by 2020.
The Government has previously proposed a universal service obligation (USO), designed to help remote households get fast broadband more quickly, by granting them the right to request broadband speeds of at least 10Mbps. The USO, if put in place, would be something BT would be obliged to do as a reactive measure.
BT's alternative proposal would see the company rolling out the necessary broadband infrastructure proactively rather than waiting for a request. The investment would be recouped through customers' bills.
Commenting, Steve said:
“This offer by BT is a good one and something I hope the Government will seriously consider as a positive and pro-active way of working with BT rather than through the USO, which would be reactive and enforced via regulation.”
“If the Government does accept BT’s offer, it will be legally binding, but what matters most is getting the best deal for residents and businesses who deserve and require the best broadband speeds in this increasingly digital age.”
“The devil will be in the detail and I will be watching the progress of this matter closely to ensure the final outcome is best for Mid-Cornwall and those of us who live and work here.”