Wednesday 17th June 2009
Read the final part of Lord Carter’s Digital Britain Report 2009
The final part of Lord Carter’s Digital Britain Report has been released following a controversial week amidst rumours that the Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting is to step down. The new Digital White Paper was announced in Parliament at 3.30pm yesterday and offers a blueprint for the UK's digital future.
Martha Lane Fox, lastminute.com co-founder, was officially named as Lord Carter’s replacement becoming the UK's ‘Digital Inclusion Champion’ helping to ensure the last third of Britons get online.
Ben Bradshaw, new Secretary of State, in his first address to Parliament announced the report which focuses on four main areas:
- Digital infrastructure
- Ensure our infrastructure is correct to power digital success and ensure universal broadband coverage.
- First step is roll out of next generation broadband with a small broadband levy introduced by government.
- Participation
- Aim for universal access.
- Plan to upgrade all national radio stations from analogue to DAB by 2015.
- Affordability to be funded by £300m web home access scheme for children –with an emphasis on capability also. Part of BBC licence fee to be used to fund universal broadband access, plus a 50p tax on all fixed phone lines.
- Content
- Online piracy legislation to prevent unlawful peer-to-peer file sharing and re-offenders to have broadband connection reduced.
- Ofcom to regulate. Targeted legal action by rights holders.
- Merger of BBC Worldwide and Channel 4 – BBC to support partnerships and act as an ‘enabler’ with media partners.
- Small part of licence fee digital switchover surplus to fund regional news pilots between now and 2013.
- Continued modernisation of Government
- Public services to be delivered primarily online.
First to comment on the new report yesterday was Jeremy Hunt MP, Shadow Culture Secretary, calling it a ‘colossal disappointment’. He commented on the broadband tax and the digital switchover which he feels the licence fee payer should not have to pay for and the extent of the 'digital dithering' or analysis. The fact that Lord Carter is due to quit his post during the summer recess for a rumoured role with ITV has also been a cause for much comment. However, Bradshaw summed up the flagship paper by saying: "This report is key to our economic recovery", and championed Carter's vision to get the final third of the UK online.
Currently Britain stands at about seventh in global broadband league tables, below nations such as Korea, Japan, Sweden and Norway. The digital and communications industry in the UK is said to be worth around £52bn a year. Lord Carter estimated that some 22 million Britons rely on the industry for their daily work.
