§ Mr. JenkinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she is taking to bring high speed broadband internet connections to those areas where British Telecom has deemed enablement of the telephone exchange unviable. [136438]
§ Mr. TimmsThe Government intends spending £1 billion on broadband connectivity for the public sector between 2003–06. The Broadband Aggregation Project will set up 9 Regional Aggregation Bodies (RABs), which will aggregate and procure public sector demand for broadband. Each RAB will work closely with stakeholders in their region to develop an appropriate regional strategy that will offer best value for money and the widest availability to surrounding communities.
Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) are committed to improving the availability of broadband in their region and are involved in a range of regional and local partnerships with both the public and private sector. RDAs administer the £30 million UK Broadband Fund which carries out pilot projects, to build awareness and understanding of the benefits of broadband in areas which are not currently served by the market.
A joint DTI/Defra Rural Broadband Team has been set up to address the issue of availability of broadband in rural areas. It aims to support local community action to secure affordable access to broadband, to ensure rural communities derive the maximum benefit from the deployment of broadband and promote rural access and take up of broadband to those in a position to effect positive change.