Ofcom boss Ed Richards said that the UK government's ambition of getting broadband to everyone in the UK by 2012, was possible but a lot of people didn't want it. He said that there more than 1.5m homes currently unable to receive the download speed promised by communications minister Lord Carter in his Digital Britain plan and 40 per cent of the UK's estimated 25m households do not have broadband.

Fortunately more than 55 per cent have decided they do not want it at all, even though they can afford it. Another 30 per cent were restrained by financial resources but would like to be online and 15 per cent don't want it and can't afford it anyway. Only one percent of UK households do want broadband but cannot get it where they live. But this is for the figure of 0.5 Mbps speed and the government wants a 2mbps minimum.

Richards said that more than 15 per cent would not be able to get that speed.