Minister highlights broadband benefits

13:00 20th January 2009

The minister for communications has highlighted what he believes to be the great benefits of broadband against a background of economic turmoil.

Lord Stephen Carter spoke about the potential benefits of more widespread broadband use and about the positive effect that high speed broadband could have on the UK's economy. He said that investment in Britain's digital infrastructure would be hugely beneficial and his comments were in line with Gordon Brown's intentions to get every home in the UK connected to the internet with a broadband link within four years.

Speaking at the Joint Westminster eForum and Westminster Media Forum keynote seminar, Lord Carter said: "The communications sector is a rare ray of light in an otherwise rather gloomy economic sky."

Major investment in the UK's broadband network is viewed by many as a crucial way to steer Britain out of the current downturn and stimulate economic growth. Expanded internet access combined with faster connection speeds could be enhanced by more widespread IT training.

According to nma.co.uk, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta) has advocated installing next-generation broadband in place of digital spectrum.