All homes in the UK will have access to superfast broadband by 2020, the prime minister has said.

Mr Brown said in a speech that superfast broadband brings great benefits to individuals, businesses and in the delivery of public services.

He referred to superfast broadband as "the electricity of the digital age" as he pledged to help deliver universal access.

The roll-out of superfast home broadband will enable citizens to have a greater say in how the country is run, Mr Brown said, including through the use of online petitions.

He added that the government intends to provide £30 million of funding for a new organisation known as the Institute of Web Science, which it would lead jointly with Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the man widely credited with inventing the world wide web.

Earlier this month, a technology expert suggested that increasing access to broadband has helped to trigger a boom in the UK's digital economy.

Melina Jacovou, managing director of the Propel London recruitment agency, said growth of social networking, mobile and video-based communications is "due to the fact that people can access these from everywhere and be online all the time".

Add a comment

Comment

Your name

Your e-mail address

Comments (0)