The government has confirmed it will leave the
investment needed for next generation broadband to the
market.
The strategy emerged
in Lord Carter's interim review of Digital
Britain.
The review, published today,contained 22 action points to
maximise investment in high-speed fixed, mobile networks and
digital content.
But it made clear that no public money would be forthcoming in
the short term to create Digital Britain. Instead the government
will set up a strategy group to see how far existing investments by
Virgin Media, BT and other network operators will take the country
towards universal access to a fixed or wireless broadband
connection.
"We will, by the time of the final Digital Britain Report, have
considered the value for money case for whether public incentives
have a part to play in enabling further next generation broadband
deployment, beyond current market-led initiatives," Stephen Carter
said.
The government will bring in a universal service obligation on
all network operators to provide a basic connection of up to 2Mbps
to their networks, Lord Carter said.And it would consult to see how
to fund the requirement.
He promised to introduce legislation to allow owners of radio
frequencies and physical infrastructure such as cable ducts and
radio masts to share them with other communications service
providers, to speed up the rollout of broadband. This will require
careful regulation, given the complex mix of interested
parties.
He defended the present regime of business rates, which has been
criticised for favouring large network operators over smaller
rivals. The regime was clear, Lord Carter said, but he undertook to
ensure potential investors understood them.
Carter said the government would support a competitor to the
BBC for public
broadcast services. This would draw in part on
Channel 4's
assets. He said it made sense to start by looking at Channel 4 and
BBC Worldwide, but the government was studying other options
too.
Carter said the government will consider a new Rights Agency to
safeguard online content owners' civil rights. The ageny would be
funded by a levy on rights holders, he suggested.