Our IT and politics blogger, Philip Virgo, offers up
his opinion on last week's
interim report to government, Digital
Britain.
The reception given to Lord Carter’s Digital Britain Interim
Report indicates that few have yet read the
report or his
speech covering the principles on which was based
They attack “ideas to be considered” as though they were
“recommendations”.
Moreover, few have compared the vision to that of
Obama, let alone that for competition in the local loop to
provide full motion video to the home by 2002, which was HMG policy
until 1997, as mentioned in my
blog on the report, where I also expressed my concerns that the
comments on facilitating duct and infrastructure sharing could
perpetuate the growing vulnerability to single points of failure in
a society that is now critically dependent on its communications
infrastructure.
These points aside, the report itself is unashamedly work in
progress and shows a wickedly dry sense of humour.
For example the section on the idea for a Rights Agency says "It
may be that such an independent objective body may be better able
to surmount the mutual tension ... If the UK can develop such a
working focus, we will have an advantage over most other
countries," and refers to the
responses to the consultation on P2P file sharing on the BERR
website which says "None of the options ... attracted
widespread support. Rather there was a marked polarisation ..."
The Rights Agency could become the most reviled agency since
that for Child Support, a piggy-in-the-middle for bitter feuds
between those who can never be reconciled. Or it could uniquely
position the UK as knowledge broker for the world. It is certainly
well worth exploring but success will depend on an outbreak of
common sense, constructive thinking and co-operation among those
fighting for discretionary consumer spend and advertising revenues
in a shrinking market.
One of the great virtues of the report is that it makes no bones
about some the challenges to be addressed and allows departments
and agencies to condemn themselves.
The challenge, to "industry", to produce an agreed set of radio
spectrum trades by the end of April 2009 is really a challenge is
to the suppliers to come together and stop Ofcom and Treasury from
faffing around with "administrative incentive pricing". Can they
resolve their conflicting vested interests or are they willing to
take a gamble on a political decision that might be in favour of
those whose shareholders would do better if they left and took
their jobs with them?
The statement that the "Valuation Office has provided new clear
guidance which addresses the problem of clarity over business rates
..." is similarly wicked. Do visit the
Valuation Office website, and
see if you can find it!
Once again, we have a situation which militates in favour of
incumbents and against innovation and new investment. It must be
resolved if the report's headline objectives are be achieved.
There is much, much more to debate and discuss.
But do take this interim report at face value.
Don’t just read and complain.
Read and respond.
This is genuine work in progress.
Read further
The Digital Britain interim report on the DCMS
site >>
Lord Carter's speech on digital Britain >>
Philip Virgo's blog: Two cheers for Santa Carter's work in progress
>>