I Could Spoil You

The Broadband Stakeholders’ Group (BSG) has cautioned that the results of the next year’s general election in the UK could significantly influence the next-generation broadband roll-out plans, more so if the Conservative party is voted to power.

According to the BSG, private players may hesitate to invest in the broadband expansion plans because the results of the election are quite unpredictable. The two parties have a totally different stand on the issue of broadband provision across Britain - the Labour party has promised every household a broadband connection of at least 2Mb by 2012, while the Conservatives have publicly brushed the topic aside saying that it is not a priority.

Speaking at a Westminster forum, Anthony Walker, chief executive of the Broadband Stakeholder Group stressed on the two almost opposite views held by the Labour and Conservative parties. Dubbing the Labour approach as the “nuts and bolts”, he said the party knows there is an impending problem because not everyone has access to broadband.

Commenting on the Conservative outlook, Walker said that the party looks at the market mechanism and hopes for a new entry into the market. He pointed out that the Conservatives want to make the market as dynamic as possible so that it delivers more.

Walker warned that a hung parliament would mean that all plans for the proposed broadband rollout could be stalled. For the most up-to-date information on broadband, the Broadband Genie comparative table of broadband prices for users provides all details regarding the latest broadband offers and services on broadband available in the market, right from cheap broadband to fastest broadband.