Survey Sez: U.K. Download Speeds Not Near Fast Enough

A new Web-based poll of U.K. Internet users found that more than 80 percent of them want the government to put more public funding into faster broadband connectivity. In addition, more than 62 percent want that effort to focus on connecting the most remote rural areas first. The current U.K. Universal Service Commitment is for Internet download speeds that deliver at least 2 Mbps to everybody by 2015, but more than 31 percent believe the minimum speed should be 25 Mbps. Notes ISPreview.co.uk founder Mark Jackson, "Unfortunately, it’s perhaps not realistic, short of an extra multi-billion-pound investment from the public purse, to expect some of the more dramatic speeds. Nevertheless, it’s already clear that a minimum speed of 2 Mbps is fast becoming the modern day equivalent of a dial-up connection and will soon struggle to handle the latest content.” Jackson himself believes the minimum speed should have been 10 Mbps.