Encouraging communication providers to supply a broadband service to everyone in the UK is going to be Ofcom chairman-elect Collette Bowe's top priority when she takes over the regulatory body, it has been reported.
Speaking at the Communication Managers' Association conference, she said that the UK will not benefit from a fully digital society unless providers meet a universal service obligation.
According to Computer Weekly, she believes that the campaign for universal broadband should be of a similar scale to those orchestrated to rid the country of typhoid and cholera.
"To say it is like supplying clean water or sewage removal may be overstating its importance, but not by much," Ms Bowe said.
Ms Bowe added that while people could debate the necessity of broadband, she saw it as a "basic, basic need for citizens".
In related news, Ofcom recently announced that the UK will be joining the European 116 helpline number initiative.
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