Small businesses in UK 'hampered by lack of broadband'
A report from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has found that 16 per cent of small enterprises in the UK are being prevented from expanding because of insufficient broadband availability.
Although 74 per cent of respondents to the FSB survey indicated they planned to grow their operation in 2012, with 57 per cent keen to increase their online base in a bid to engage with the ecommerce market, a variety of factors stand in their way.
In response, the FSB has urged the coalition to take action aimed at stimulating the growth of companies like these, which it claims can provide a boost to the economy and the job market.
The industry body argued the government must set out a commitment to deploying super-fast broadband across the UK and make sure a two-tier system of internet access does not develop between rural and urban areas.
"Small businesses are committed and resilient, but they now need the government to match their ambition for growth," said John Walker, FSB national chairman.
An FSB report in November 2011 expressed concern that 22 per cent of small businesses could not access next-generation broadband on at least one of their sites.
