Superfast Broadband

Lord Gordon of Strathblane Excerpts

Thursday 26th November 2015 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Neville-Rolfe]

I entirely agree with my noble friend.

[Lord Gordon of Strathblane (Lab)]

Would the Minister share my curiosity at the Prime Minister shifting the Government’s position from a universal service commitment—which is very important—to a universal service obligation, which carries with it a possibility of legal challenge? If I live in a remote area and do not get good broadband, who do I sue?

[Baroness Neville-Rolfe]

My Lords, one reason this will take us until 2020 is that we must get it right. We must look at exactly this sort of issue. Obviously, we will have to legislate and find the right way of implementing the USO to deal with the complexities and get ahead. This is now a utility and it makes sense to have a stronger commitment.