Parliament announces inquiry into Digital Britain plans

MPs are set to investigate whether the proposals in the Digital Britain report are the right ones to strive for.

The Business and Enterprise Committee has announced an inquiry into broadband speed in the UK. It will consider several of the Digital Britain report's proposals, which were published on 16 June.

It will assess whether the report's target for universal broadband - a speed of 2mbps by 2012 - is ambitious enough. It will also ask whether the government is right to propose a levy on copper lines to fund next-generation access, and whether the government's plans for next-generation access will work.

The inquiry will investigate whether companies are providing the speed they promise, and the extent to which current regulation strikes the right balance between ensuring fair competition and encouraging investment in next-generation networks.