If only people understood about broadband as a utility

Yes, OK, we’re picking an easy target here in India Knight, she’s not employed for her detailed knowledge of the real world. But still, this is a useful example of something that near the entire conversation about broadband to every home is missing:

The internet isn’t some quirky little place for weirdos. It’s infrastructure, in the same way as electricity and sewerage, an essential service that must be made available to everyone.

Well, we’re not sure we agree but let us assume that we do.

The government’s assessment is that standard speeds are available to 98.5 per cent of UK homes, which is dandy unless you’re part of the remaining 1.5 per cent.

OK. So, what would happen if we were to treat broadband - of that acceptable speed - in the same way we do utilities like electricity and sewage.

Over a million properties across rural areas of the UK cannot connect to the main sewerage infrastructure.

We’d be saying that your lovely little rural bolthole is too far from the infrastructure for it to be economic to connect you. You’ll have to use some other solution, like a septic tank.

Apply for a quotation for a new connection from the distribution network operator (DNO) responsible for electricity in your geographical area as soon as you have plans of your proposals, including a site and location plan. The application process usually involves filling out an online form.

Connection is not cheap, and it’s best to budget for it as early as possible.

We’ll also charge you the full cost of connecting your rural bolthole to the network. Costs do indeed go up, substantially, the further you are from the extant infrastructure.

That is, we currently do treat broadband as we do utilities like electricity and sewage. So, what was that complaint again?