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[bbc] Action needs to be taken to ensure that those living in rural areas of the UK are not left in the broadband slow lane, a report has warned.

The report, from the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC), makes a series of recommendations to ensure that rural homes can keep pace with urban areas.

It calls for more help to be given to community-based broadband schemes.

Alternative investment models need to be explored to ensure fast networks are rolled out in the country-side.

The recently published Digital Britain report – which laid out the government’s strategy for broadband – announced a telephone tax to fund next-generation networks in rural areas.

It also pledged to provide a minimum speed of 2Mbps (megabits per second) to all UK homes by 2012.

Rural areas need fast broadband