It is, however, in the nature of politicians to interfere with markets - just as it is the nature of dominant players to "rationalise" markets in their own interests. More-over it is probable that a government reshuffle is imminant, as soon as the LibDems have agreed which of their new intake is ready for promotion to replace those who have passed their sell-by dates. If so, one suggestion to minimise the damage of interference is to move telecommunications from DCMS to a new department which brings together DECC and the Department of Transport, tasked to work with Treasury enable the private sector to bring forward the infrastructure investment programmes that are essential to UK economic recovery. The competing view is that it be moved back into BIS/DTI as part of an "industrial strategy" (alias picking winners and turning them into losers with conditional funding programmes and "co-ordination"). The idea of keeping it alongside the much sexier content industries (Culture, Media and Sport), where it has become "contaminated" with their time-consuming, lawyer-driven feuds over ownership and censorship, has no friends among those who have commented to date.
To that end there is also a suggestion that the "Communications Act" that is in the offing be split between a bill to merge the telecommunications infrastructure responsibilities of Ofcom with those of Ofgem and of CPNI into a combined utilities regulator, (as in Germany) and a much more complex and controversial set of bills to handle the content issues on which their is little or prospect of agreement between the warring factions.
But if such changes are to help expedite infrastructure construction on the scale needed to help regenerate the UK economy, they need to accompanied by a stripping away of the layers of financial services legislation that discourage long-term, private sector investment in the UK. We have to permit a recreation of the variety of investment vehicles that funded the construction of the Victorian and Edwardian infrastructures on which we still depend.
Hence the policy studies framework that the executive of the Conservative Technology Forum will be reviewing in a couple of weeks time. I would, however, be remiss if I concluded this blog entry without including the Civil Service Staff College Case Study sent to me by a very senior former public servant. I fear that it neatly summarises the dilemma currently faced by DCMS officials. Hence the need for new thinking.
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Extract from the training manual of the Civil Service Staff College
Observers of the machinery of government are excused if they marvel at the way the thing lurches along, grinding and bumping through the ruts and over the cobbles, never stopping but seldom actually getting to where it's supposed to be going. What follows is a true story (well - up to a point). Imagine this:
The scene
You are Head of Broadband Stuff at the Ministry of Entertainment, sitting in your office one day, idly wondering whether to spend the weekend with Fiona Bruce or with the Duke of Cambridge's mother-in-law, when the door slams open and in strolls The Boss (en route to lunch at the Savoy). "Here's 10p" he says. "Everyone is to have 100 Megs by Thursday".
"Right Boss", you say. "I'm on the case".
You ponder for a bit and then you call Malcolm Corbett, because you've heard he's something to do with broadband. "Malcolm", you say, silkily. "I've got 10p for you and I want you to fix us up with broadband stuff. 100 Megs for everybody by Thursday. Can do?"
"Well," says Malcolm. "I'd like to, but the trouble is, I've got all these tiny projects and 10p won't go very far. I really need a quid."
At that you blanche (because you suspect The Boss is spent up on film studios and museums and broadcasting "Strictly" and throwing the javelin in 2012 and other vital stuff). So you promise to let Malcolm know and ring off. More pondering and then one of your team lifts his head from the Guardian crossword and suggests that you might get some advice from BT. "Good thinking," you say and call Ian Livingstone. "Ian", you begin. "I've got 10p and if you promise to give everyone 100 Megs by Thursday, it's yours!"
Ian pauses for a couple of seconds before he replies. "Well," he says, thoughtfully. "I admit I've got a bit of a problem with my pension fund and Openreach is certainly in need of some support. So - yes - send it over and I promise to accelerate our existing hyper-speed programme that has been covering 125% of the country since 1991, even though there is no demand and the technology isn't ready and which makes UK the best country in the whole world for everything thanks to BT."
"Great," you reply, and hang up. "Chaps;" you say, interrupting your team's focus on the latest syllabus for Theatrical Studies and Asian Dance in All Schools. "I've just done a deal with BT and they'll give everybody 100 Megs by Thursday, so long as I give them our 10p."
One of the guys looks up from his papers. "Isn't that a bit dodgy?" he asks. "Won't The Boss be a bit nervous about lack of competition and Brussels and all that stuff? And won't the small players get upset at being left out?"
But another of the guys also looks up. "How about divvying up the 10p among County Councils and letting them take the flak? Only a few of them know what they're doing and so you can give them a bit of guidance, nudge-nudge. They'll run some sort of competition but end up giving their share to BT anyway. Takes the heat off you, let's them feel they're in charge - doing Big Society stuff - and you can tell The Boss that the job's done so far as you're concerned and that Dave will be happy."
"Sounds good," you say. "But hang on, what if there's some more money from somewhere else in government?"
At this, everyone looks confused. Even a bit shocked. "But that's nothing to do with us," somebody says. "That's their business. DEFRA and BIS and things. You'll be talking about joined-up government next!"
"True" I murmur, settling down to think about Fiona Bruce again.
But not for long. There's a tap on the door and in marches Neelie Kroes and Malcolm Corbett. You suspect that your day is only just beginning.
Your Task
You are to produce a comprehensive, funded, broadband implementation plan for the whole of the UK that is: future-proof; exceeds EU targets; based on either infrastructure or service competition (or both); sustainable; attracts maximum private investment, and rewards innovation.
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