David Cameron has appointed Business and Culture Minister Ed Vaizey as the UK's new broadband chief.

The Conservative MP for Wantage & Didcot fills the role vacated by Labour's Stephen Timms upon the dissolution of parliament last month.

He will be responsible for directing the government's digital strategy, and potentially reviewing legislation including the new Digital Economy Act.

However, at the top of Mr Vaizey's agenda will be overseeing the roll-out of high-speed broadband in the UK, and assessing the role of the public sector in upgrading the national internet infrastructure.

Malcolm Corbett, Chief Executive of the Independent Networks Co-operative Association, welcomed the news, having forwarded Mr Vaizey for the role earlier in the week.

"We are delighted," he told the BBC. "Ed knows what he is talking about and it is good to have a minister who knows about and cares about the issues."