Posted: 05th May, 2010 By: MarkJ

The
British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has challenged the next government to put business at the very heart of its thinking from day one and demanded "
a radical plan for next-generation business broadband by 2040". We know governments can be slow but that does rather stretch their target to the moon.
The proposal is part of a 90 day push for business growth put forward by the BCC, which includes a 12 point plan for improving the country's economic prospects; its broadband demand is listed under "
better infrastructure".
David Frost, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said:
"We will be judging the performance of the next government against its delivery of a clear plan for business. Putting business growth at the very core of a new administration’s thinking is fundamental to returning our economy to health quickly, and for the long-term.
Sorting out the dismal state of our public finances must be at the very top of the agenda. The phoney war between the parties must end, and as the Institute for Fiscal Studies has shown, the parties must be crystal clear about where spending cuts will fall.
During the first 90 days after an election, an incoming Government must make concrete proposals to reduce red tape and tax burdens on business; review how to move the economy away from an over-reliance on consumption and the public sector; and commit to improving Britain’s energy, transport and digital infrastructure."
The BCC warns that failure to implement these measures will mean a slower, or even non-existent, recovery. However it's not clear what the BCC expect from broadband as they do not specify any details, though it is apparently referenced to a Manifesto they released last September (
Download .PDF)
We went back to look at that document but only found one vague statement about "
upgrades to broadband" and no mention of any 2040 target. Presently all of the major political parties have pledged to assist the deployment of Next Generation Access (NGA) broadband to the majority of UK homes by around 2017.