Stephen Carter, the minister for communications, technology and
broadcasting, is to publish an action plan to show how the
government can promote IT and communications technology, including
high-speed broadband.
Other key areas Carter will explore include how to encourage
more digital radio station operators, investment in content
creation, and freeing more frequencies for commercial use.
He will also address safety on the internet, media literacy and
skills, universal access to high quality public service content,
how to preserve independent content producers, and a better
framework for protecting intellectual property.
Carter said the report, Digital Britain, is about capturing the
opportunities on offer for UK plc and the public, and advancing the
UK's standing as a world leader in converging communications
technologies and their applications.
The report will package the results of earlier reports into an
action plan for government intervention. Ofcom, the communications
regulator, is in the middle of a
consultation on ways and means to roll out high-speed
broadband.
A spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media & Sport
said an interim report would be ready in January, with a final
report in spring.
The spokesman said the £52bn communications, technology and
broadcasting industry underpinned economic development.