FSB slams 2Mbps broadband promise
Tue, 23 Jun 2009
The government's Digital Britain report lacks ambition, according to the national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
John Wright said that while the small enterprise sector welcomed the state's commitment to providing universal broadband access, the expected 2Mbps by 2012 "lacks ambition and shows the UK is in a time-warp".
He claimed that FSB research had shown that a third of small companies already have this connection speed, yet struggle to conduct core, day-to-day duties online.
Mr Wright added: "More than half of small businesses rely on the internet for up to 50 per cent of their annual turnover, yet simple tasks such as emailing, marketing, buying and selling, are time-consuming because their broadband speeds are letting them down."
He claimed that the online world is "crucial" to small business development, especially for firms in rural Britain where businesses have no access whatsoever.
"By 2012, £1 in every £5 will come from online commerce, but if small businesses are to compete, the government must take bolder action," Mr Wright proposed.
He suggested that a minimum broadband speed of around 8Mbps was being demanded by 60 per cent of the sector.
"Small businesses are ready to play their part. Now the government needs to step up and take the country into a future when UK businesses are internationally competitive," added Mr Wright.
Last week, the National Computing Centre reported that small and medium enterprises – not merely their larger rivals - can find cloud computing very beneficial.
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