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Government report outlines plans for Digital Britain
30/01/2009
An interim reports published this week by the government focuses on the future of digital technology and communication in the UK.
In response to the report, Gordon Brown stated that digital technology is as important today as “roads bridges and trains were in the 20th century.” He added, “every aspect of our lives... will be dependent on the services that the digital network provides.” It is clear from these comments that the government is taking the issue very seriously indeed.
The report’s main proposal involves greater access to fast broadband internet. Everybody in the UK should have access to high speed (2Mbps) broadband by 2012, it claims. This new ‘universal service commitment’ is intended to ensure that the UK stays competitive in terms of its access to digital information and services. Mobile broadband services such as mobile email and mobile internet have, after all, become essential business tools.
The Prime Minister, speaking at the New Local Government Network, said that digital technology will play a part in helping the UK to emerge from the recession, "Today we have an interim report from Lord Carter setting out the scale of our ambition to compete in the digital economy and that's a market worth about £50bn a year…It affects every community in our country who are looking for the best digital infrastructure, access to broadband, that we can offer them.”
Some industries such as mobile telecoms, radio and broadcasting welcomed the report, while the Conservative Party said it contained “no new action” and the Liberal Democrats labeled it a “damp squib.”
The Confederation of British Industry told the Guardian newspaper that it welcomed the fast broadband roll-out targets. It also supported the report’s calls for better digital literacy. Concerns were raised, however, that the right conditions for investment in broadband need to be nurtured in order for the government’s goals to become reality.
In response to the report, Gordon Brown stated that digital technology is as important today as “roads bridges and trains were in the 20th century.” He added, “every aspect of our lives... will be dependent on the services that the digital network provides.” It is clear from these comments that the government is taking the issue very seriously indeed.
The report’s main proposal involves greater access to fast broadband internet. Everybody in the UK should have access to high speed (2Mbps) broadband by 2012, it claims. This new ‘universal service commitment’ is intended to ensure that the UK stays competitive in terms of its access to digital information and services. Mobile broadband services such as mobile email and mobile internet have, after all, become essential business tools.
The Prime Minister, speaking at the New Local Government Network, said that digital technology will play a part in helping the UK to emerge from the recession, "Today we have an interim report from Lord Carter setting out the scale of our ambition to compete in the digital economy and that's a market worth about £50bn a year…It affects every community in our country who are looking for the best digital infrastructure, access to broadband, that we can offer them.”
Some industries such as mobile telecoms, radio and broadcasting welcomed the report, while the Conservative Party said it contained “no new action” and the Liberal Democrats labeled it a “damp squib.”
The Confederation of British Industry told the Guardian newspaper that it welcomed the fast broadband roll-out targets. It also supported the report’s calls for better digital literacy. Concerns were raised, however, that the right conditions for investment in broadband need to be nurtured in order for the government’s goals to become reality.