It is "economically viable" for fast broadband services to be rolled out in rural areas, according to an expert.

David Lewis, managing director of Rutland Telecom, said running costs are actually fairly low - it is just the implementation of new services that represents the main challenge.

And Mr Lewis knows a thing or two about the issue, as Rutland Telecom was set up by a rural community in the village of Lyddington, after locals decided to take matters into their own hands.

Commenting on the potential for the community-based broadband model to spread elsewhere, he added: "There is pent-up demand. People want to live in beautiful rural locations, but one of the main things they haven't got is fast internet."

Meanwhile, three-quarters of readers of V3.co.uk do not agree with the government's proposal to introduce a tax on landlines in order to pay for improvements to rural broadband access, according to a poll on the website.

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