The Communication Workers' Union has announced that it is hosting a meeting of over 100 MPs to discuss the take-up of broadband technology in the UK.

The meeting, which will be chaired by former culture secretary Chris Smith, is to take place on June 10 at Portcullis House in WestminsterForum Response: Communication Workers' Union

A spokesman for the CWU told ePolitix.com: "Although the technology is in place, no one is being encouraged to use it; and the longer this persists, the more the UK will fall behind its competitors socially, industrially and politically."An OECD report puts the UK 22nd of 28 countries in broadband take-up. While 14 per cent of Korean homes are linked to broadband, the UK figure is three per cent.

"The government's stated target is to make the UK the most competitive and extensive broadband market in the G7 by 2005. CWU is concerned that this laudable aim shows no likelihood of being achieved.

"The current structure of the industry is unlikely to deliver universal access to broadband services. The issue cannot be left solely to the market, and needs political intervention. This is why the 10 June meeting has been called.

"The CWU wants political action to the benefits of broadband and is also in favour of building on the current level of partnership projects to rollout broadband to rural and remote communities and targeted urban areas."

Forum Response: Countryside Alliance

Richard Burge, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, told ePolitix.com: "We are very much in favour of a technological revolution in the countryside.

"Our website will be averaging over three million hits a month in the lead up to the Liberty and Livelihood march in London on September 22nd, and our 'grass e-route' email network keeps tens of thousands of people appraised of what our plans are and how they can get involved.

"However, the poor broad-band take-up rate is unsurprising when set against the current back-drop of countryside crisis. Keeping the rural community 'connected' is becoming increasingly difficult - post-offices, pubs, libraries, all the traditional methods of keeping in touch and keeping informed, are being eroded. Which leaves the internet as the only means open to many, but since the majority of people struggle to run a car in the face of poor rural transport services, it is little wonder that buying a computer comes fairly far down the list of priorities for the many in financial hardship in the countryside.

"We are behind technology all the way, but it must be realised that simply buying a computer and plugging it in is not the answer - the rural community needs to be understood and catered for by government before it can pull onto the information superhighway."

Forum Response: Institute of Directors

A spokesman for the IoD told ePolitix.com: "We support any initiative to increase broadband take-up in the UK. The advantages of cost effective 'always on' broadband services to many small and medium sized businesses that previously had little prospect of such access cannot be underestimated.

"It is vital that industry and government work together to maintain our competitive edge through the use of new technology such as broadband."