Every household in the country will be guaranteed access to broadband internet, according to a draft report by Lord Carter on the future of the telecoms and media industries.

Lord Carter, the communications minister, will propose a “universal service commitment” to broadband – akin to the guarantee offered on postal services and fixed-line telephones – that by 2012 would provide minimum download speeds of 2 megabits per second to every household that wants it, according to people who have seen a draft of his report, entitled Digital Britain. Such speeds enable people to watch video online, including the BBC iPlayer.