Big Society could see more communities equipped with fibre broadband

Super-fast fibre broadband could be on its way to more UK communities as a result of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat government's Big Society initiative.

That is according to Malcolm Corbett, chief executive officer of the Independent Networks Cooperative Association, who wrote in the Guardian that the rollout of improved internet access "can benefit greatly" from the approach that will see government funding allocated to improve the country's infrastructure in the web arena.

Non-profit organisations are beginning to rely more heavily on videoconferencing, social networking and online banking among other resources for their operations and better access to fibre broadband is becoming a necessity, Mr Corbett explained.

Initiatives such as BT's Race to Infinity were praised by the commentator, but he pointed out that more needs done to connect communities in parts of the UK that are currently lagging behind.

Madingley in Cambridgeshire, Innerleithen in the Scottish Borders and Baschurch in Shropshire were among the towns recently announced as winners in the BT scheme.