Orkney to have legal right to affordable high-speed broadband by 2020

Orkney residents will have a legal right to an affordable high-speed broadband connection by 2020, it has been announced today.

The design of the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) has moved a step closer, with the legislation being laid down for a design of a scheme which will see everyone in the UK, no matter where they live or work, expect a connection of at least 10 Mbps.

While he welcomed the news, Northern Isles MP Alistair Carmichael was left frustrated and called for more urgency.

He said: “This is obviously good news but it is frustrating that we still have to wait for two years before we get anything concrete out of this.

“By the time we get the 10 Mbps guarantee in 2020, the rest of the country will be expecting 30. I want Ofcom to get on with the job as soon as possible. Two years are a maximum and not a minimum.”

While the USO minimum speed will initially be set at least 10 Mbps, which Ofcom advise is the speed required for a typical household’s use of services such as web browsing, email and video services, it is believed that this will be kept under review and is expected to increase over time.

UK Government minister for Scotland Lord Duncan described the move as an “important step”, saying: “It is vital that every home and business in the UK — including remote communities — has access to affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband.”

Ninety-five per cent of the UK already has access to superfast broadband, and the USO will provide a “digital safety net” for those in the most remote and hardest to reach places, according to the government.

The specification for the USO design also includes:
●     A per premises cost threshold of £3,400, enabling coverage to around 99.8 per cent of premises. Consumers outside this threshold will be able to get a satellite connection, or would have the option to cover the excess themselves.
●     A requirement for demand aggregation, so that people within an area can combine their per premise cost thresholds, to ensure that as many people who want to get connected do get connected.
●     For it to be funded by industry rather than public funding.
●     Uniform pricing so that those connected under the USO do not have to pay more for similar services to consumers served commercially.