The USO or Universal Service Obligation is a regulation, which ensures that providers of a given type of communication service should offer a minimum level of service to all citizens living within a given geographic area. The underlying legislation behind the USO is to ensure that subscribers to different services, such as telephone and various types of broadband can, if they choose, receive a level of service that is comparable to that enjoyed by their neighbours.
The concept of USO has long been present in terms of telephone service. While the onus is not on any single service provider to see to this task, it sometimes falls to a specific company to cover a particular geographic area and provide services that meet a prescribed minimum. The use of USO in providing residential and business telephone services has made it possible for anyone living or working in a rural area to enjoy the same level of telephone service as that found in a city.
In recent years, the idea of applying USO to broadband services across the UK has gained much attention. During 2009, supporters urged for the implementation of USO across the country, with a minimum speed of 2Mbps being mentioned. While not yet a reality, the idea is gaining momentum, especially as broadband providers seek ways to increase their client base.
What this would mean for consumers living in less populated areas is that they would have access to DSL, cable or some other form of broadband, where currently they could not take advantage of anything faster than a dial-up connection. The implementation of a minimum residential and business broadband speed would allow users living in rural areas to enjoy many of the online activities that urban users take for granted, such as downloading movie clips or listening to music online.