HMG has just launched a consultation to extend the remit of Ofcom to promote "efficient investment in infrastructure". The six week timescale is determined by the need to legislate before the next government reviews the very existance of Ofcom. But can we afford a two year wait for a proper review of the UK communications infrastructure, given the stress tests it will face in 2012 if not before? And can we afford to leave that review to Ofcom?
Continue reading "The Ofcom Consultation and the future of Digital Britain" »
Last year I
blogged on evolution of the Internet into one of the most concentrated mediums the wrold has ever known. Whether it is operating system, browser, search engine, landline or radio modem, most of us have a realistic choice of less than half a dozen suppliers for our access channel and many have none. The approach of Karoo to Internet policing
as reported by the BBC illustrates the possible conseqences
Continue reading "A Cartel Masquerading as Anarchy: Internet Governance revisited" »
Those involved in the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Communications Act 2003 which created Ofcom were well aware of the need to subsequently review implementation and perfomance. There were various ideas as to how to achieve this: including a joint committee of both Houses. None came to pass.
Continue reading "Has Ofcom passed its sell-by date?" »
Sixty delegates crammed into a room for 40 for the Conservative Technology Forum meeting on "Accessible broadband for all" at the party conference. Perhaps the high spot of the discussion was a speaker volunteering to deliver 2 megs inside two weeks and upgrading it to ten megs next spring, in response to a question from a Councillor representing a nonspot in the South East
Continue reading "Full house for broadband in Manchester" »
In his introductory comments to the
Parliament and the Internet Conference today, Ed Richards seemed to think that the transition of Ofcom from a Broadcast to an Internet regulator was inevitable, as content and viewing habits moved across, albeit it raised many questions of practicality.
Continue reading "Is Statutory Internet Regulation inevitable?" »
This morning I had cause to look at the
BBC cover of my speach at TMA 2002. I told the audience unless they got their political act together most of the exhibitors would be out of a job within the year. They did not and they were. There was no TMA 2003.
Continue reading " Net industry told to adapt or die: it didn't. Now we are kicking the corpse." »