UK clarification sought after Finland broadband commitment

News that the Finnish government considers broadband speeds of one megabit-per-second (Mbps) to be a 'legal right' for its citizens has prompted calls for clarity in the UK.

The UK government recently pledged to deliver speeds of 2Mbps to every home by 2012 to help boost download speeds and potentially improve VoIP hardware, but there is now industry confusion over whether universal connectivity is considered a commitment or, as in Finland, an obligation, reports the BBC.

This confusion has intensified since Digital Britain minister Stephen Timms referred to the universal connectivity policy as "an obligation" in a recent speech, although the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has since told the BBC this was a mistake.

Andrew Ferguson, editor of broadband news site ThinkBroadband, told the news agency: "In the UK we are at a juncture where a minister is calling for something tougher than what the original Digital Britain report laid out."

He added that many Britons may have assumed the government meant universal connectivity was an obligation from the moment the report was first published.

The government has pledged its commitment to 2Mbps speeds, but companies such as Virgin Media already offer much faster speeds.