Broadband is an integral part of our lives.  It helps us interact with friends, do our shopping, run our businesses and even watch our favourite soaps.  In doing this it helps perform a social good - enfranchising people who have sometimes been left behind when new technology has been introduced.

To effectively deliver these services to places like Gloucester the Government is introducing the new Digital Economy Bill which is comprehensive and ambitious in its scope.  A vital component of the Bill is the government’s target that a universal service at the speed of at least 2mb/s will be rolled out across the country by 2012.  Many people will continue to have access to higher speeds provided by suppliers in the market, but through this target the government can play a key role in delivering a minimum standard to every home.  In future Britain must stay at the forefront of new technology, which is why the government has set the longer term target of Next Generation Access (NGA) services reaching 90% of UK homes by 2017.

I recently met with BT to discuss these plans and some particular access problems at the Copeland Park Estate.  They explained how increasingly important fast upload speeds are becoming as we increasingly upload hi-res videos for social networking, business discussions or even to access e-health services.  This is why BT has its own target of rolling out NGA services to 40% of homes by 2012.

In our discussions it became clear that the market alone cannot deliver a comprehensive NGA rollout.  In some areas of the country - including rural areas around Gloucester - it isn’t economically viable for private companies to invest the funds required to install quick broadband.

This is why the government had to step in to ensure that the benefits of this new technology are shared across our country.  A strong national network can only be provided by government intervention.  It’s a great pity that opposition parties are not backing this bill and not setting any clear alternative plans to secure our country’s digital future.

Parmjit Dhanda MP

Member of Parliament for Gloucester