Mr Vaisey said he could not guarantee every home would receive 10mbps
People living and working in isolated rural areas may miss out on taxpayer-funded broadband despite a Government pledge to roll-out "universal" superfast speeds, the UK minister responsible for the telecoms sector has warned.
Ed Vaizey told a gathering of MPs: "I’m not going to guarantee to you that every single premise is going to get 10 Mpbs but it should be potentially possible."
The Countryside Alliance is "very disappointed" by Culture minister Ed Vaisey’s comments that not all rural homes may receive the 10 megabits per second broadband speed promised to all by the Government in November.
The Government is currently consulting on a plan for a universal service obligation (USO) that would mean highspeed broadband for all homes by 2020.
However speaking to MPs on Wednesday Mr Vaisey said he could not guarantee every home would receive 10mbps.
Half of all rural premises receive poor speeds
Countryside Alliance head of policy Sarah Lee said: "This is very disappointing. The whole point of a universal service obligation is that it applies to everyone, and this one was suggested specifically to ensure that the most rural, hard-to-reach properties will enjoy workable broadband speeds.
"We have responded positively to the Government’s consultation on a USO so it is disappointing to learn, before it has closed, that its result seems to have been prejudged.
"Nearly half of all premises in rural areas of the UK – that’s 1.5million premises – still receive speeds of lower than 10mbps, and one in five rural premises struggle with speeds of 5mbps or lower. This needs to improve.
"High speed broadband is an essential service for modern life and we believe a lack of broadband capacity in rural areas is holding back the countryside, socially and economically."
Poor or non-existent broadband
CLA President Ross Murray said: "People living and working in the countryside have been putting up with poor or non-existent broadband service for too long because connecting them can be harder and not as profitable for infrastructure providers.
"This has made their lives more difficult and has put their businesses at a disadvantage – poor broadband is one of the greatest barriers to growth in the rural economy.
"Currently only half of rural homes and businesses can receive broadband of 10Mbps versus 96 percent in urban areas.
"This is the greatest technical hurdle that rural Britain is currently facing.
"The Government’s commitment to putting in place a USO of 10Mbps from 2020 was a real win for rural people, but it will only be meaningful if fast, reliable and affordable broadband is made a legal right.
"If people are denied this legal right, they should have access to proportionate compensation.
"It would be very difficult to reach 100 percent of people and businesses, especially those in remote areas, through fibre technology alone.
"It is crucial that other broadband technologies are used as part of the mix to deliver the universal coverage that Government is seeking to achieve.”