Jeremy Hunt, shadow secretary for the Conservative party, caused a stir when speaking at the London School of Economics earlier in the week. The senior Tory politician revealed that a Conservative government would focus public investment in providing cheap cable broadband and faster ADSL connections to the major cities of the UK.

The news was greeted with understandable frustration by those living in rural areas where broadband coverage is poor and broadband speeds are a fraction of those available to people living in densely populated areas.

Commentators have recognised that the strategy could be aimed at winning votes amongst those living and working in cities where broadband is seen as integral to economic growth.

It is possible that this strategy, which deviates from current government plans looking for dual investment from taxpayers’ money and the telecoms industry, could eventually work in favour of those living in rural areas. The Conservatives would charge those adopting the high speed connection in the cities a higher monthly rate in order to, later, allow for increased investment in better broadband speeds and coverage around the UK.

It is likely that such a plan would be greeted with significant support from businesses, allowing them to implement home working schemes for staff during adverse weather or pandemics such as the ongoing Swine Flu outbreak.

For residential customers living in urban areas, the impact could be less desirable. With the new faster connections costing more, an imbalance of broadband speeds could be driven by income, with the universal availability of cheap cable broadband a distant dream.

Although the Conservative plans for the future of broadband in the UK are of interest to many, speculation and the discussion of specific plans are seen to be pointless at this time. It is only after next year’s general election that the any new policies will be implemented.