Broadband connectivity to prove vital in Britain's effort to fight impending recession

21:00 6th January 2009

A cross-party agreement on the importance of broadband connectivity has emerged, with the Conservative party seemingly endorsing the government's position.

Prime minister Gordon Brown stated in an interview with the Observer newspaper that the government would be investing in fibre optic broadband.

He said that just as building a transport infrastructure such as roads and railways had been used by previous governments to boost the economy, contemporary measures involved maintaining a competitive technological edge.

Leader of the opposition David Cameron commented: "Fibre optic broadband is changing the way people work and do business and it has the potential to completely transform our economy."

The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) estimated that implementing fibre optic broadband across the UK would cost between £5.1 billion and £28.8 billion.