CLA hails Miller's commitment to cut red tape around broadband
Culture Secretary Maria Miller's decision to acknowledge that red tape is holding back the rollout of broadband networks has been praised by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA).
The Conservative-led coalition is spending £680 million on supporting the deployment of super-fast broadband, but unnecessary bureaucracy is delaying the development of this vital infrastructure, Ms Miller argued.
Over the next three years, the government is aiming to ensure the UK has the best next-generation broadband of any European nation.
Harry Cotterell, president of the CLA, said it is important that two objectives are in place by 2015 - a universal broadband service with speeds of at least 2Mbps and a super-fast network covering as large an area as possible.
"The measures announced today could go some way towards achieving this," he predicted.
However, the CLA chief stressed the rural rights group will examine the proposals and all future policy closely to ensure the changes do not have an adverse effect on land managers.
Mr Cotterell explained: "This is particularly the case in respect of the installation of broadband infrastructure on our members' land."
