Access to high speed broadband will be made a legal right for everyone in the UK, the Government has confirmed.
Ministers have announced that a Universal Service Obligation will be introduced which will ensure households can access connection speeds of at least 10 Mbps by 2020.
The announcement by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport fulfills a Conservative manifesto pledge.
The Government had considered an alternative way forward which would not have enshrined the right in law after BT said it could deliver high speed connectivity through a voluntary agreement.
But ministers have decided to stick with their original plan and will now proceed along the regulatory route.
However, there are likely to be concerns that the announcement does not go far enough after Matt Hancock, the Digitial Minister, confirmed the move will simply give people the right to ask for high speed broadband by 2020 rather than guaranteeing a connection by that point.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Access means that you can phone up somebody, ask for it and then somebody has the legal duty to deliver on that promise.”
Karen Bradley, the Culture Secretary, said: “We know how important broadband is to homes and businesses and we want everyone to benefit from a fast and reliable connection.
“We are grateful to BT for their proposal but have decided that only a regulatory approach will make high speed broadband a reality for everyone in the UK, regardless of where they live or work.
“This is all part of our work on ensuring that Britain’s telecoms infrastructure is fit for the future and will continue to deliver the connectivity that consumers need in the digital age.”
The target speed of 10 Mbps is what Ofcom, the independent regulator, says is needed to meet the needs of an average family.
The Government will set out how the legal right will work in secondary legislation early next year.
The introduction of the legal right is then expected to take Ofcom about two years which the Government hopes will mean everyone can access high speed broadband by 2020.
Fibre broadband | The different types explained
Fibre (sometimes spelled fiber) broadband use fibre-optic cables to deliver internet at faster speeds than traditional copper cables.
Openreach, part of the BT group, operates a fibre-optic network used by BT Infinity and most other broadband providers.
Virgin Media uses its own fibre network.
There are various types of fibre connection. How they work determines whether download speeds are 30 megabits per second (Mbps) or as high as 1 gigabit per second (Gbps).
* Fibre to the node (FTTN): Fibre cables run to a cabinet and copper wires take the connection from there to individual homes.
* Fibre to the cabinet (FTTC): The most common fibre connection. Works in the same way as FTTN but the cabinet is nearer, typically on the same street as the property, so faster speeds are possible.
* Fibre to the premises (FTTP): Fibre-optic cables run directly to your block of flats or office. This services can be more than double the speed of FTTC, up to 300Mbps.
* Fibre to the home (FTTH): delivers the fastest download speeds (up to 1Gbps) because cables go directly to individual properties. However, at the moment very few households are connected.
BT had proposed delivering universal broadband through a voluntary agreement with the Government.
But ministers rejected the approach because they believe the legal right is much stronger and can offer consumers greater certainty because it will be legally enforceable.
The Government’s approach will place a legal requirement for high speed broadband to be provided to anyone who requests it, subject to a cost threshold.
The Tories pledged in their 2017 manifesto to "ensure that by 2020 every home and every business in Britain has access to high speed
News 
Market Data 
Discover 
