In advance of May 5th, broadband consultancy Point Topic has combined a mass of data and new market models to show for the first time how many business and residential broadband users there are in each constituency in England and Wales.

The constituency results show a big range between the peaks and the valleys of “Broadband Britain”. The peaks are areas where the population is relatively young and prosperous, with many people in managerial jobs, and where BT competes with the cable networks to offer broadband services.

In some parts of Britain over 30% of households already have broadband. In others, on the downside of the digital divide, the figure is still below 10%. The great mass of the population live in areas with between 19 and 28% of broadband households.

Comment - the ‘digital divide’ has become a central term for politicians, regulators and policy makers keen to look as though they are engaged in debates around the social and economic impact of new technology and media. Yet there is almost no mention of the comparative nature of technology and uptake - i.e. there will always be some kind of divide unless we drive technology at the pace of the slowest. So where does the divide get bridged? And isn’t it naive to think it ever could be in any permanent way?

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