The British government is considering making high-speed Internet access similar to other utilities such as water and gas. This would provide a neutral network for the citizens of the UK.

The government has made a commitment to provide 2 Mbps broadband access to all homes by 2012. Local authorities are claiming that this is insufficient and the government should enforce faster minimum speeds in the law.

People in British urban communities are accessing the Internet at 40 Mbps while 42% of rural communities are unable to access the Internet at 2 Mbps due to "the distance between their homes and telephone exchanges."

If the government does enforce faster minimum speeds, "Britain would become one of the first countries in the world to oblige internet service providers to deliver fast broadband. Finland passed a law guaranteeing 1Mps connections in October last year"

Enforcing a mandatory Internet speed will aid the shutdown of the digital divide between urban and rural communities. Rural businesses will be enabled to compete at the same level as urban businesses.

"But the Government has been reluctant to make firm commitments to minimum broadband speeds because of the costs of improving networks in rural areas. The cost of installing the fibre optic lines required for super-fast broadband to all homes has been estimated at up to £30 billion."

The British newspaper, the Telegraph, has launched a campaign supporting high-speed Internet access for rural areas. To read the Telegraph's article regarding this issue, visit their website.