CBI warns UK Govt about broadband

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has called upon the Government to act over the roll-out and availability of broadband communications in Britain.

Speaking after the publication of a major study into e-business, Nigel Hickson, head of e-business at the CBI, told El Reg that there was growing pressure on the Government to take action concerning broadband.

He said the findings of The Quiet Revolution: E-Business in the UK revealed that British business would become increasingly reliant on broadband in the coming years.

However, he said many companies view telecoms as a utility just like water or electricity; they expect it to be available - not only to them, but also to their customers.

However, critics claim Britain does not have the infrastructure to meet the demands of an increasingly wired nation. Freeserve has already branded the roll-out of ADSL in the Britain as a "national disgrace" and other players have criticised BT's tardy approach to the roll-out of broadband.

However, even if the Government accepts that something must be done to wire-up Britain, it is unlikely to announce anything ahead of a General Election.

The FT today reported that the CBI had warned ministers that a "bottleneck" restricting access to broadband would impact investment in e-business. ®

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