Technology neutrality as a practice: A discussion of two UK interventions on broadband and associated outcomes

Abstract

This paper discusses two market interventions in the United Kingdom (UK) to spur activity and growth in the UK fixed-line broadband markets – local loop unbundling (LLU) and the Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) Superfast Broadband programme. With each of these interventions, the intervening agencies identified the outcomes in terms of specific end-user service objectives such as bandwidth, network coverage or availability rather than underlying technology i.e. both interventions were technology neutral. The paper explores the extent to which technology neutrality as a practice was relevant to the intended outcomes. It does so by combining desk research with the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis of the interventions. This discussion is informed by ideas related to the Osborne effect and identifies a mixed picture of outcomes that needs further investigation.