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Super-fast broadband could be delivered into UK homes through sewer pipes, the industry regulator has said.
Ofcom has been conducting a survey of the country's underground pipe network to establish its suitability to carry broadband pipes.
It has published guidelines for the installation of super-fast broadband into new homes, which is believes could add up to seven per cent to the home's value.
Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said: "Super-fast broadband is ripe for deployment in new build areas. We need to take advantage of this and encourage investment in networks while promoting competition.
"This will allow consumers to benefit from all the advantages of super-fast access speeds, competitive provision and choice."
A consultation will run until June 25th to decide the best way to regulate next generation networks.
Some of Ofcom's critics had warned that it hadn't been doing enough and that the UK was in danger of falling behind other countries in the roll-out of super-fast broadband access, reports the BBC.
Ian Fogg, an analyst with Jupiter Research, said: "The fact that this is just a consultation is another indication that the UK is lagging behind."
Meanwhile, Ceredigion's Welsh Liberal Democrat MP Mark Williams has welcomed news that Ceredigion county council will lunch a survey about the county's broadband access.
"BT often say that 99 per cent of people in Wales can get broadband. Judging from my postbag, this simply isn't true - while exchanges have been updated to accommodate broadband technology, the quality of many lines in Mid Wales is insufficient to deliver it," he told the Tivyside Advertiser.
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