Need advice? Call our experts free on
0800 090 1342
Powernet says businesses support net neutrality
Only a fifth of IT decision-makers are in favour of tiered traffic.
The business broadband firm discovered just one in five IT decision-makers is in favour of the government allowing internet service providers (ISPs) to tier traffic, while only 17 per cent would be prepared to shell out for a top-tier subscription.
A large number of respondents also displayed a lack of confidence in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition's ability to deliver its goals for Digital Britain.
Almost a third claimed the current administration is not doing enough, with more than a quarter arguing policymakers are confused about the best way to bring faster internet access to the UK.
This is a worrying issue given that 77 per cent of those surveyed said a reliable business broadband service is essential to the ongoing success of their operation.
While they are desperate to secure a dependable connection, only a minority of employers are willing to sacrifice the principles of net neutrality to achieve this.
Four in ten believe this approach would restrict fair access to the internet, the poll revealed, while 35 per cent argued it could deal a blow to innovation.
Tony Tugulu, chief executive of Powernet, insisted the research reveals a "groundswell of support" from the IT community for net neutrality.
"Broadband is the lifeblood of British businesses, but there is a real concern that the UK is lagging behind the rest of the world," he added.
"UK businesses think the government should be doing more to help boost our digital infrastructure and they are also clear that [tiered] internet access isn't the answer."
Numerous organisations have given their backing to net neutrality, with the Council of Europe recently arguing consumers should be given the widest possible levels of access to web-based applications, services and content.
In its draft report on internet governance principles, the body added that any traffic management policy put in place by ISPs should be non-discriminatory.