Public backing for universal broadband pledge

Consumers in the UK will support the government's pledge to provide broadband of a minimum speed of 2Mbps to every household by 2012, new research claims.

Chancellor Alistair Darling's recent Budget statement reiterated support for the plans unveiled earlier in the year in communications minister Lord Carter's interim Digital Britain report.

According to Computer Weekly, a survey carried out by the Communications Consumer Panel has revealed that a large proportion of the UK population backs the plans.

The research also indicated that home broadband is rapidly becoming essential for consumers as most respondents in the survey viewed it as something they could not live without.

Panel chairperson Anna Bradley is to present findings of the study to Lord Carter's Digital Britain team later this month and will also fully outline the organisation's backing for the universal service pledge.

In a letter to the communications minister, Ms Bradley wrote: "It is clear that ensuring equal access across all four [British] nations will be important."

In related news, satellite broadband provider Eutelsat has launched a new service with the aim of reaching areas of the UK not covered by fixed networks, reports VNUnet.