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Digital Economy Bill [Lords]

The hon. Gentleman raises a very important point. It is a matter of deep concern in rural areas across the country—in Scotland, where I have been recently, and in England and Wales too. The key steps that are being taken are, first, our commitment to universal service at 2 megabits per second—because many of the areas about which the hon. Gentleman is talking do not have any broadband at all at the moment—by 2012. Broadband Delivery UK is working on that at the moment. Secondly, we need the landline levy—sadly not now in the Finance Bill for this year, although it will be in the Finance Bill that we will introduce straight after the election—with a 50p a month levy on phone lines that will give us the funding to invest in next-generation broadband in rural areas across the country. There is wide agreement across the House about the importance of next-generation broadband being delivered in rural areas. There also needs to be a means to deliver it. That is what the landline levy will give us. There will be no means otherwise.