³ÉÈËÂÛ̳

Broadband coverage has been in the news recently with reports from Scotland to Surrey showing coverage is too patchy. The Federation of Small Businesses warns Scotland could be "left behind" if the UK Government fails to provide fast broadband to businesses and communities.

Despite many ISPs (Internet Service Providers) advertising superfast speeds, Ofcom estimates that the average speed in ‘up to 20mpbs’ packages is actually 6.2mpbs, due to ADSL limitations. This is still fast enough to stream videos without interruption but it does show that as a country, we’re far from reaching our broadband potential.

Key to fast UK-wide broadband is the government’s Physical Infrastructure Access (or PIA) scheme, which last year saw Ofcom ordering BT to allow other communications companies access to their networks. The aim of this was to reduce the cost of rolling out fibre optic cables to rural areas and to get more communities connected. However, ISPs like TalkTalk and Virgin Media have written to communications minister Ed Vaizey raising their concerns over the cost of PIA.

In a statement, BT said its prices ‘compare very well with European averages’ but if it doesn’t lower its prices what could this mean for a user in a low coverage area?

It’s possible that the ISPs will refuse to pay and therefore won’t be able to offer services for faster broadband, or they could potentially pass on any extra costs to the consumer, meaning fewer people will be able to afford it. Broadband is big business and with BT pledging to deliver fibre optic broadband to two thirds of the country, the government’s £530m fund for the remaining third is crucial in getting the whole country online and up-to-speed.

You can find out more about choosing the right ISP for you in Wendy Grossman’s article.

Read the original article on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News Technology site.