It is important for the PM to implement future initiatives to level up the country. In particular, bridging the ‘digital divide’ needs to be prioritised and become an essential component of the levelling up strategy. In the UK, since there is still a visible disparity between the availability of fast, reliable broadband in urban and rural communities. If the PM is to genuinely deliver on the promise of the levelling up agenda, there needs to be a much greater emphasis on targeted digital investment to close the gap.
The importance of having a digital-first society
The pandemic highlighted our reliance on digital infrastructure and connectivity, emphasising that the benefits of improved digital connectivity are significant. For individuals, having access to decent broadband allows them to benefit from an ever-widening range of online advantages, from online banking, connecting with family and friends to being able to work remotely and running small businesses from home. Access to reliable connectivity helps drive improved economic and social outcomes and thus uplift communities.
Rural homes and businesses are still being left digitally isolated in many parts of the UK. Even under schemes such as the Universal Service Obligation (USO), they are all too frequently expected to pay completely unaffordable charges running up to many thousands of pounds just to get access to broadband services that are suitable for their needs. Rather than being ignored, the digital enablement of rural communities should actually become the government's highest priority.
Driving economic growth and closing the ‘digital divide’ through targeted investment
A new study revealed that investing in digital infrastructure could help grow the UK economy by £232bn by 2040. Having a fully connected UK would improve the economy and create jobs while also changing the way we work and live. As such, it would also have a significant impact on society's productivity and output. Ensuring that investment into digital infrastructure crosses into rural communities would have a majorly positive impact on rural Britain and allow for these communities to grow, putting an end to the concerning trend of rural decay. However, businesses and industries in rural areas - which should have a significant role to play in the economic growth of smaller UK communities - are continuing to struggle with a lack of quality broadband. Underlining this, a study by the Countryside Alliance found that 80% of rural businesses said that better quality connectivity would be the single largest improvement to their business.
Local authorities are more aware of the importance of having digitally connected communities and are hard at work to maximise the number of locations under their remit getting connected to reliable broadband. They are increasingly relying on technology improvements to identify areas poorly served by connectivity. The new Digital Exclusion Risk Index launched by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority is a national tool allowing local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales to effectively understand the extent of digital deprivation in their locality, This is a prime example of how local authorities are putting their best foot forward in attempting to bridge the ‘Digital divide’. However, they simply cannot do this alone. Support from Westminster as well as central funding are critical to empower local authorities to bring an end to digital disadvantage.
To have the most significant impact, carefully targeted investment needs to be linked with much wider thinking around broadband delivery technology. It’s of course a given that every single UK household and business having access to full fibre broadband would be the utopian situation. However, for more remote and rural properties, that just won’t be feasible for many years, so a single strand 'one size fits all' solution is simply inappropriate. There are several other broadband delivery technologies which, although not providing a service as fast as gigabit-capable full fibre, can be genuinely life-changing for homes and businesses by significantly improving their connectivity.
Government must not lose sight of the fact that improving digital connectivity for rural Britain won’t just facilitate the use of exciting new technologies such as the Internet of Things. It will also have an immediate effect on economic, social, health and educational outcomes in such locations, as well as potentially attracting inward investment to create rural hubs of innovation in areas that for far too long have been left out to pasture.
It’s vital that rural businesses and communities in the UK are no longer ignored by the Government. The PM needs to not only look at urban environments but also invest in rural communities to bridge the digital divide. Without such investment, the promise of the levelling up agenda will simply never be realised.
David Hennell is business development director at National Broadband.
