Competition and deregulation for high-speed broadband penetration in rural areas

Deregulation of the existing telecoms networks and wider competitive market environment would help high-speed broadband to reach more homes and businesses in rural areas, according to Adam Afriyie, MP for Windsor and Tory shadow minister for innovation.

He spoke at the headquarters of Breakwater IT at the Meridian Business Park in Norwich on Friday night.

“If we deregulate so that there’s more flexibility about which suppliers can use which parts of telecoms infrastructure, it should make it easier to bring broadband to people’s homes.”

Rural areas lack over-all quality when it comes to best service or faster connection speeds. Competition among broadband providers is the key to the development of fixed line broadband infrastrcture (both ADSL and Cable) in these areas, according to the MP.

He also said that new ‘local enterprise’ organisations will be formed, after next election, to enable the people and local authorities to make decisions, speicifically related to local economic issues.

EPD24 quoted him as saying:

“There’s a case for a local forum where people and local authorities can make those local economic decisions – but not like regional development agencies, which are far too big and distant to local people.”