Recent Budget reveals 'fresh investment promise'

The Chancellor, George Osborne, didn't specifically mention the word broadband in his recent Budget speech. However, the government has promised to establish a new fund, called the Broadband Investment Fund, to support the establishment and growth of alternative broadband options.

The fund will be established in partnership with private sector investments, with the primary aim of allowing independent providers access to finance and funding. As part of this fund, the government also committed to delivering 5G services in 2017, with the goal of becoming a world leader in offering 5G.

In the context of the National Infrastructure Commission's research, additional grants, up to a total of £14.5 million, will be used to extend ultrafast broadband to the south-west.

The Budget said that cheap, affordable, speedy broadband was “essential for connected household and business sector” but admitted that pricing was not “transparent enough”.

Using the recently released report by Ofcom, the government has pledged to make pricing as open and as transparent as possible and will allow a new price comparison to be developed by the communications.

In the report, Ofcom cited broadband adverts to be “confusing and misleading for consumers and that they would work closely with broadband providers to ensure the customers are getting the best deal possible".

The fund would also enable the necessary and supporting of future infrastructure, allowing new and taller masts to be built. At present, planning restrictions are in place that restricts masts being taller than 15 metres. The government has said they will relax these to ensure “greater freedoms and flexibilities” to ensure better coverage and improving mobile signal for all users across the country.

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(Image: Kings Sutton)