Make rural broadband plans public, demands Culture Secretary

Culture Secretary Maria Miller wants all councils to make public maps showing which areas are scheduled for broadband upgrades.

Miller made the request in a letter in response to a statement BT made to the Public Accounts Committee. In it the telco said it has no objection to the details of where it intended to upgrade networks being published, but revealed some local councils were opposed to the move.

According to the Telegraph, which has seen a copy of the letter, Miller's advice contradicts previous guidance that the maps must be kept private as they are commercially sensitive.

In the letter, Miller said: "Concerns have been raised about whether information on the areas which will, or will not, be covered by the current projects can be made available. This information will help other broadband providers and community groups determine whether it is worth their while to develop local broadband projects to fill in gaps in coverage.

"It will also help clarify the position of those community broadband projects whose schemes are already planned in some detail. I am keen to see this information made available."

Citing an unknown source, Miller believes local communities should know whether they are definitely going to be covered, might be covered or will definitely not be covered by rural broadband extension plans, the Telegraph claims.

However, Miller acknowledged many rural premises will fall into the second of those three categories.

"Significant numbers of premises will be in the to be confirmed' category and coverage will depend on the precise roll-out plans for each local area which will be developed over a period of time. Provided these limitations are made clear, my strong preference is for this information to be made available," she wrote.