Broadband minister warns BT not to expect a 'blank cheque'

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt says government's £830m superfast broadband pot doesn't have BT's name on it

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has told BT that it will not be given a "blank cheque" from the government to further extend its high-speed broadband network, according to the Financial Times.

However, analysts believe that BT is likely to gain a significant portion of the £830m of public funding the government plans to make available to develop superfast broadband access.

BT also said last week that if it were to gain a large proportion of the £830m, it might match whatever funding it receives. It also said this additional money would allow it to extend its high-speed broadband network to up to 90 per cent of UK homes.

In a speech yesterday, Hunt announced the government's intention to put a "fibre point" in every community in Britain by 2015.

BT's main competitor, Virgin Media, is also looking to grab a share of the government's £830m, as are smaller network providers Vtesse Networks and Geo.