Rural Broadband

The village of Lyddington in Rutland raised the money to bring superfast broadband to themselves, and other villages are following. But the next Government must develop a strategy to bring it to the whole country, because not all communities will be able to DIY broadband. Read The Daily Telegraph's coverage of the issues.

Help yourself to broadband - the CLA supports the Rural Broadband Partnership,  which helps communities and business build propositions from the ground up - putting local need first, not last. Find proven resources here to get broadband to your door.

Join our national coalition of groups and individuals, Final Third First, to make sure that fibre optic goes to every home in the UK. The CLA's broadband campaign to bring fast access to the internet to all rural users is a key priority.

News

Time runs out on the 50p levy for rural broadband

One of the casualties of the General Election is the measure to impose a 50p levy on phone lines to fund the expansion of broadband to remote areas. The CLA will lobby the next Government to make sure that broadband is extended to those businesses and communtities who are now at a disadvantage in an on-line world.

Large parts of rural Britain still lack a broadband connection or receive a very poor service. As a result thousands of businesses in the countryside are at an unfair disadvantage to those in cities. Read more in our news releases.

Our policy position

The CLA urges the Government to:

• Introduce a universal service obligation for broadband speed of two megabits per second to every door by 2012,
• Put in place a private-public partnership to make sure there is enough money to pay for the roll out of next generation broadband. 

 It is expected to cost around £15bn to get fibre optic into every home. The Government's proposed 50p levy on phone lines will not raise enough by itself.

Why it is urgent

Broadband is as essential to businesses as water, gas and electricity. Without it they are not competitive.

Around 18 - 20 percent of rural areas cannot get broadband.  They are in "not-spots" - areas where broadband is not available. We estimate that around 100,000 businesses, with a total turnover of up to £60bn, are being held back.

It is unjust that rural businesses should be at a disadvantage. It is made worse by Government efforts to move forms of administration, such as tax and the Single Farm Payment, online.

A lack of broadband means economic recovery in the countryside is being held back. It means the whole rural community, from pensioners to school pupils, is at a significant disadvantage.

We want a stop to "not-spots".

Remote areas are denied the very tool which could transform their lives. But the problem is not confined to them. Even rural districts of England's "Silicon Valley" area, near Reading, and some places close to the M25 have problems.

This urban-rural "digital divide" is getting wider as companies providing broadband focus on urban areas because they are profitable. Urgent action is needed to get rid of the gap.

 BUILDING ON PAST SUCCESS

The CLA began lobbying for broadband to be available in all rural areas in 2002. As a result, BT took action. By 2005 most of Britain had access to fixed-line broadband. Those left without it, however, are in the countryside. This is the deficit we are now campaigning to correct.

HELP YOURSELF TO BROADBAND

 The CLA supports the Rural Broadband Partnership,  which helps communities and business to build propositions from the ground up - putting local need first, not last. Find the resources here to get superfast broadband to your door.

GRANTS FOR BROADBAND IN THE SOUTH EAST

Grants are available for the provision of broadband in some rural areas - check them out on our regional news page

Broadband news archive.

Details about the CLA rural broadband service can be found in the Member Services area of this website.