Scottish minister calls for broadband USO
Scotland's deputy first minister John Swinney has called for the introduction of a Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband services.
In a letter to Ed Vaizey, the UK Minister for the Digital Economy, Mr Swinney argued that everyone should be able to access affordable, high-speed broadband.
A USO for the telecoms industry is already in place and Mr Swinney stated that changes should be made to ensure broadband services are also covered.
Recent research carried out by ISPreview found that 71.5 per cent believe a USO should be brought in to deliver fixed line broadband speeds of at least 2Mbps to all parts of the UK.
Mr Swinney said: "Broadband is something that everyone in Scotland should have access to – it's a vital service in today's world. That is why I am pressing the UK government to introduce a broadband Universal Service Obligation, which would set out access as an entitlement."
Scotland's deputy first minister pointed out that countries such as Finland, Malta and Spain have introduced a USO for broadband in the last few years.
The Scottish government is already investing £410 million through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme to meet its target of ensuring 95 per cent of premises across Scotland will be given access to fibre broadband by the end of 2017.
"We should make more use of regulatory levers such as USOs, alongside the substantial investment that the public sector has made in digital infrastructure in recent years, to ensure access for all and to maintain a competitive environment," said Mr Swinney.
The poll conducted by ISPreview found that while the majority of people back the introduction of a USO for broadband to guarantee speeds of at least 2Mbps, only 40 per cent of respondents would not mind paying an extra £1 per month for it to be brought in.
Businesses looking to move services into the cloud should evaluate the performance of their existing network and consider setting up a leased line or MPLS network.
(Image: Kings Sutton)
