Moves to fast-track the roll-out of superfast broadband are to be announced today by the new Culture Secretary Maria Miller.
The Government is investing £680 million in the new broadband - but the delivery is being held up by complications in the planning system.
Now a swathe of this red tape is to be swept away, clearing the way for the economic growth and for the UK to have the fastest broadband of any major European country by 2015.
Under the new plans:
- Broadband street cabinets and other infrastructure can be installed without the need for prior approval from the local council (except in Sites of Special Scientific Interest);
- Broadband companies will face less cost and bureaucracy in laying cables in streets
- Broadband cables and cabinets can be installed on or under private land without the bureaucratic burden of long-running negotiations.
Maria Miller said:
“Superfast broadband is vital to secure our country’s future – to kick start economic growth and create jobs. We are putting in the essential infrastructure that will make UK businesses competitive, and sweeping away the red tape that is a barrier to economic recovery.
“The Government means business and we are determined to cut through the bureaucracy that is holding us back.”
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