Clearer Wi-Fi laws could help deliver community broadband

People could have better access to community broadband networks if Wi-Fi laws were clarified, according to a new report from a university academic.

Research from Diathi Mac Sithigh, an IT and internet law lecturer at the University of East Anglia, suggests that a lack of clarity in relation to how many people can enjoy legal access to a single Wi-Fi network could be hindering the development of community-wide connectivity.

Giving more people access to a single Wi-Fi network could enable more people to use VoIP solutions and download media content from the web, but Mr Mac Sithigh argued that too much focus is currently given to concerns over illegal access.

The IT expert said: "If the legal environment was more favourable to sharing it would play an important part in achieving the Digital Britain aim of inclusion and social goals of increased access."

Under the Digital Britain scheme the government has pledged to deliver a connection of at least two megabits per second to every UK home by 2012.