Labour pledges free broadband for all

Labour is setting out plans to deliver fast and free full fibre-broadband for all by bringing parts of BT into public ownership and creating a new British Broadband public service.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will make the announcement during a trip to Lancaster, describing the new free public service as central to Labour’s plans to transform the country and economy, ‘bringing communities together in an inclusive and connected society’.

If successful in the upcoming General Election, the party is promising to undertake a massive upgrade in the UK’s internet infrastructure, delivering fast, secure, reliable internet connections for everyone and putting an end to patchy and slow coverage, boosting 5G connectivity across the country.

Labour has also said that any roll out will begin with communities that have the worst broadband access, including rural and remote communities and some inner city areas, followed by towns and smaller centres, and then by areas that are currently well-served by superfast or ultrafast broadband. The move will be financed through Labour’s Green Transformation fund and taxing multinational corporations such as Amazon, Facebook and Google.

Corbyn will say: “A new public service delivering the fastest broadband free to everyone is at the heart of Labour’s plans to transform the future of our economy and society. The internet has become such a central part of our lives. It opens up opportunities for work, creativity, entertainment and friendship. What was once a luxury is now an essential utility.

“That’s why full-fibre broadband must be a public service, bringing communities together, with equal access, in an inclusive and connected society. It’s time to make the very fastest full-fibre broadband free to everybody, in every home in every corner of our country. Making it free and available to all will open up opportunities for everybody, at the cutting edge of social and economic change. By creating British Broadband as a public service, we will lead the world in using public investment to transform our country, reduce people’s monthly bills, boost our economy and improve people’s quality of life.”