OfCom Chief Exec on next generation broadband… and network neutrality?

Broadband Internet access is great, isn’t it? Sure, it’s greater in some areas than others, but in general cable and ADSL have made possible the age of streaming content we now inhabit. And yet… it could always be faster. Especially as low-res sites like Youtube give way to hi-res apps like iPlayer, some providers have forecast that online traffic will meet its physical capacity within the next few years.

Government has taken notice of the problem, but not perhaps in a way that favours users. On Tuesday morning, Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards appeared on Radio 4’s Today in part to address the introduction of next-generation broadband in Britain. To gain the added infrastructure necessary for this switch-over, Mr. Richards said:

“Are we doing everything that we can to set out a clear regulatory framework, to ensure that there are returns where companies take risks? Yes, I think we are doing that as well.”

Will this have implications for network neutrality? He cited Virgin Media as the vanguard of fibre investors — that company’s views on net neutrality are as unpalatable as they are unprintable on our front page.

Ofcom occupies a unique position in this field, because it has the power to guide the debate on what the next paradigm in Internet access will look like. Clearly, 2008 will be an important moment in this debate, and ORG is doing what we can to remind Ofcom that it is just as much its duty to “further the interests of citizens” as to ensure Virgin a healthy return. You can see our current work on the issue on our wiki, and we invite you to contribute to the project.

A transcript of the relevant portion of the Mr. Richards’ interview also appears on the wiki. The interview came ahead of Ofcom’s release of a new voluntary code of conduct for ISPs advertising broadband speeds.