APPENDIX 22
Memorandum submitted by Telewest Broadband
(S37)
Further to our telephone conversation earlier
today, and in response to your letter dated 30 January 2003 addressed
to my colleague, Jane Hardman, I confirm that Telewest will support
this inquiry via its membership of the Broadband Stakeholder Group.
As I have represented Telewest on the Executive
of the BSG since its inception in 2001 and chaired one of it's
main working groups during much of that time, we believe that
the most effective approach is to contribute to the BSG's written
and, if required, oral evidence to the Committee.
How to extend the reach of broadband access
to rural communities has been a key part of the work of the BSG
and the types of issues listed in your letter have all been covered.
As indicated, obstacles are presented more by lack of density
than by lack of demand itself. In many respects, individual demand
is not dissimilar to that in other areas. However, the viability
of most technology solutions to serve rural areas has still to
be proven and this is why there needs to be close co-operation
between the various stakeholders that have an interest in the
supply and use of broadband access in these areas to aggregate
this demand as efficiently as possible.
Malcolm Taylor
Public Policy Adviser
Telewest Broadband
27 February 2003
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