17 December 2007
The BBC has given its strong backing to making next-generation high-speed broadband networks accessible to all.
According to the broadcaster's Director for Future Media and Technology Ashley Highfield, a "two-tier" situation among broadband customers must be avoided, the Financial Times reports.
The BBC, whose website is the eighth most-visited in the UK according to latest figures from data firm Alexa, holds considerable sway in the UK broadband market.
Currently, the BBC outranks such popular sites as MySpace, Wikipedia and Amazon in terms of web traffic.
The broadcaster's upcoming iPlayer service - through which programming can be watched on the internet - is also a crucial part of its future plans.
Mr Highfield said: "I don’t want a two-tier Britain where urban wealthy people can access high-quality internet content at 50 megabits per second and there is a rural, disenfranchised poor."
He added: "Anything that can be done to advance the next-generation broadband build-out will be good for Britain."
Earlier this year, telecoms regulator Ofcom also gave strong backing to making future networks, potentially incorporating fibre-optic technology instead of current copper wires, as accessible as possible.
The watchdog said that "encouraging investment" in the national networks, the cost of which could run into the tens of billions, was key in promoting their installation.
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