Are the arteries of the internet really in danger of becoming clogged up?

There has been much debate recently over the capacity of the internet to cope with the growing popularity of high-bandwidth services such as online video.

Some ISPs have been moaning in particular about the impact of the hugely successful BBC iPlayer -­ a complaint that has been received with derision from web users, not least those writing to Computing’s letters page (letters.computing.co.uk).

The irony is not lost on those who recall the early days of broadband, when ISPs accused content providers of doing too little to provide sites that would encourage users to upgrade from dial-up connections.

But now the father of web gurus, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, has raised another arterial issue -­ that the problem is not too much content, but too much useless content.

Berners-Lee fears that the internet will lose credibility as a business and consumer tool because of the spread of false, misleading or simply annoying information ­ the web equivalent of spam for email. Would you really trust Wikipedia as a 100 per cent reliable source, for example?

All these debates are inevitable for what is, after all, a very young technology in terms of mainstream use. Barely 10 years ago the internet was unheard of outside of tech-savvy circles. Ten years after the car was invented, people still thought it necessary to walk in front of them waving a red flag to warn passers-by.

The reality is that the internet shows no signs of slowing down in either popularity or connectivity. The government and the telecoms industry are slowly waking up to the need to invest in next-generation broadband infrastructure. And the iPlayer demonstrates the benefit of providing quality content to the right audience.

There is no need for a healthcheck yet. IT leaders need to be aware of the issues under debate, but should not be deterred from investing in a future where information and connectivity are the lifeblood of business and government.