Compulsory broadband access for new homes in UK

All new homes will be fitted with the infrastructure for broadband access, under a government proposal aimed at boosting the public’s use of the internet.

Matt Weaver The Guardian

The proposal, which would cost the house building industry around £70m a year, was outlined in a consultation paper on changes to the building regulations published last Friday.

The change would help the government meet its target of ensuring that everyone who wants it has access to the internet by 2005.

A survey of house builders carried out as part of the consultation found that only between 1% and 10% of new homes are fitted with the infrastructure for broadband. The consultation aims to find out whether the lack of infrastructure in homes is a barrier to the take-up of broadband.

The most recent figures show that only 1.1 million of Britain’s 26 million homes have broadband access.

Under one of the proposed new regulations all new homes, and buildings converted into homes, would have to be fitted with internet ducts, which would ease the installation of cable-based broadband technology.

The consultation paper stated: "If the lack of ducting is a barrier to the take-up of internet services, particularly broadband, this could make the biggest contribution to the government objectives to make sure everyone who wants it can have access to the internet by 2005."

The paper estimated that the regulation would add £460 to the cost of building a new house, and £325 to the cost of a new flat.

The paper also suggested making the installation of ducting only voluntary. But it warned that this could reinforce the digital divide between rich and poor households because, given the choice, house builders would be likely to install internet ducting only on new luxury homes.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/egovernment/story/0,12767,921049,00.html