'Cash must be found to finance next-generation broadband'

Next-generation broadband is vital to the future and so the government should consider all possible ways to pay for it, according to a West Midlands campaigner.

Glyn Pitchford, elected West Midlands Business Council business representative on the city region board, is campaigning to speed up the roll-out of next-generation broadband in the region and is concerned that the government is not moving quickly enough on the matter, reports the Birmingham Post.

The government has been under pressure in recent months to part-fund its universal connectivity plan that could enable more people to use VoIP hardware and download web content, but it has said competitive markets are likely to remove the need for government involvement.

Mr Pitchford told the paper: "We need the government to get involved. Without some form of public sector intervention, next-generation broadband will not be introduced in the city region for the foreseeable future."

He added that next-generation broadband could be vital in helping the West Midlands recover from the recession.

The government has pledged to supply universal connectivity of two megabits per second by 2012, but this may be too slow for many businesses.