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| Report lays out UK digital future | Report lays out UK digital future |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Culture secretary Ben Bradshaw has been outlining the main strands of the Digital Britain report in parliament. | Culture secretary Ben Bradshaw has been outlining the main strands of the Digital Britain report in parliament. |
| It includes a "small levy" on all fixed telephone lines to establish a national fund for next generation broadband. | It includes a "small levy" on all fixed telephone lines to establish a national fund for next generation broadband. |
| The government will legislate to curb unlawful peer to peer file-sharing with regulator Ofcom given new powers. | The government will legislate to curb unlawful peer to peer file-sharing with regulator Ofcom given new powers. |
| To encourage take-up of broadband services the government has appointed online entrepreneur Martha Lane-Fox as the Digital Champion. | |
| Mr Bradshaw told the Commons that the government intended to upgrade all national radio stations from analogue to digital by 2015. | Mr Bradshaw told the Commons that the government intended to upgrade all national radio stations from analogue to digital by 2015. |
| The report, commissioned by government last year, offers a blueprint for the UK's digital strategy. | The report, commissioned by government last year, offers a blueprint for the UK's digital strategy. |
| The main points outlined in the report include: | The main points outlined in the report include: |
| • a three year plan to boost digital participation | • a three year plan to boost digital participation |
| • universal access to broadband by 2012 | • universal access to broadband by 2012 |
| • fund to invest in next generation broadband | • fund to invest in next generation broadband |
| • digital radio upgrade by 2015 | • digital radio upgrade by 2015 |
| • liberalisation of 3G spectrum | • liberalisation of 3G spectrum |
| • legal and regulatory attack on digital piracy | |
| • support for public service content partnerships | • support for public service content partnerships |
| • changed role for Channel 4 | • changed role for Channel 4 |
| • consultation on how to fund local, national and regional news | • consultation on how to fund local, national and regional news |
| One of the biggest surprises in the report was the promise to introduce a levy on fixed telephone lines in order to pay for the government's universal broadband commitment. | |
| This will see speeds of 2Mbps (megabits per second) rolled out to every home in the UK by 2012. | |
| It will amount to a 50p a month tax for every household in the country with a fixed phone line. | |
| It is one of the most concrete announcements in the report, said Forrester analyst Ian Fogg but it will not mean faster speeds for everyone. | |
| "It is basically a tax to fund wider broadband availability. While it may offer rural areas better speeds than are available today it will still be slower than in urban areas. There will still be a two-tiered internet and for rural homes it is going to be a case of yesterday's speeds tomorrow," he said. | |
| Alex Salter, from broadband measurement firm Sam Knows, doubts the levy will create enough money to bring broadband to every home. | |
| "It answers the main question from the last report which was who is going to pay. This is less expensive per capita than similar schemes, for example in Australia, but is unlikely to generate the full budget required - this will still have to come from the providers," he said. | |
| World class? | |
| Gordon Brown on the impact of the Digital Britain report | Gordon Brown on the impact of the Digital Britain report |
| In a press conference ahead of the report publication Gordon Brown said it would pave the way to making Britain's digital infrastructure world class. | In a press conference ahead of the report publication Gordon Brown said it would pave the way to making Britain's digital infrastructure world class. |
| "Britain is going to lead the world. This is us taking the next step into the future to being the digital capital of the world. It is making sure no family or business misses out," he said. | "Britain is going to lead the world. This is us taking the next step into the future to being the digital capital of the world. It is making sure no family or business misses out," he said. |
| In an earlier interview with the Times newspaper he said that a fast internet connection was as essential as electricity, gas and water. | In an earlier interview with the Times newspaper he said that a fast internet connection was as essential as electricity, gas and water. |
| Currently Britain stands at about seventh in global broadband league tables, below nations such as Korea, Japan, Sweden and Norway. | Currently Britain stands at about seventh in global broadband league tables, below nations such as Korea, Japan, Sweden and Norway. |
| READ THE DIGITAL BRITAIN REPORT | READ THE DIGITAL BRITAIN REPORT |
| Digital Britain report(3MB) Most computers will open PDF documents automatically, but you may need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader. | Digital Britain report(3MB) Most computers will open PDF documents automatically, but you may need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader. |
| Download the reader here | Download the reader here |
| The digital and communications industry in the UK is said to be worth around £52bn a year. Lord Carter estimated that some 22 million Britons rely on the industry for their daily work. | The digital and communications industry in the UK is said to be worth around £52bn a year. Lord Carter estimated that some 22 million Britons rely on the industry for their daily work. |
| Digital Britain was launched in October 2008 to establish a framework for the UK's digital economy. There then followed eight months of lobbying and consultation with an interim report published in January. | Digital Britain was launched in October 2008 to establish a framework for the UK's digital economy. There then followed eight months of lobbying and consultation with an interim report published in January. |
| Report author and communications minister Lord Carter is due to quit his post during the summer recess. | Report author and communications minister Lord Carter is due to quit his post during the summer recess. |
| The report was a joint effort between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, formerly the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. | The report was a joint effort between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, formerly the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. |
| WHAT'S BEING SAID AROUND THE WEB | WHAT'S BEING SAID AROUND THE WEB |
| The Prime Minister Gordon Brown wrote a column in the Times this morning in anticipation of today's speech where he outlined why he thought the report is significant: | The Prime Minister Gordon Brown wrote a column in the Times this morning in anticipation of today's speech where he outlined why he thought the report is significant: |
| I am determined that Britain's digital infrastructure will be world class. For me, it is all part of building Britain's future beyond the difficult, short-term economic conditions. | I am determined that Britain's digital infrastructure will be world class. For me, it is all part of building Britain's future beyond the difficult, short-term economic conditions. |
| Tim Bradshaw in the Financial Times Technology blog says protecting and promoting digital rights has been the most contentious part of the consultation: | Tim Bradshaw in the Financial Times Technology blog says protecting and promoting digital rights has been the most contentious part of the consultation: |
| The extreme stance - the "three strikes and you're out" approach to tackling rampant online piracy - is now unlikely to see the light of day, even in its native France. The French high court and the European Commission have both ruled that broadband access is a human right, even if you're using that right to regularly visit the Pirate Bay. That will please broadband providers, who don't want to disconnect their customers. | The extreme stance - the "three strikes and you're out" approach to tackling rampant online piracy - is now unlikely to see the light of day, even in its native France. The French high court and the European Commission have both ruled that broadband access is a human right, even if you're using that right to regularly visit the Pirate Bay. That will please broadband providers, who don't want to disconnect their customers. |
| Asavin Wattanajantra from the IT Pro blog says broadband provision plans will attract the most attention: | Asavin Wattanajantra from the IT Pro blog says broadband provision plans will attract the most attention: |
| The main recommendation grabbing most attention is a firm commitment towards 2Mbps broadband speeds for everybody in the UK, revealed in the interim report and firmly committed to in April's budget. However, new statistics from Opinium Research claim that 55 per cent of the UK population believed 2Mbps was too slow for a minimum speed. | The main recommendation grabbing most attention is a firm commitment towards 2Mbps broadband speeds for everybody in the UK, revealed in the interim report and firmly committed to in April's budget. However, new statistics from Opinium Research claim that 55 per cent of the UK population believed 2Mbps was too slow for a minimum speed. |
| The computer programmer who runs the blog Amused Cynicism has an idea about how the licence fee should change: | The computer programmer who runs the blog Amused Cynicism has an idea about how the licence fee should change: |
| If the licence fee is going to be divvied up between different content producers, it shouldn't be done by the government deciding who gets what. Instead, each license fee payer should decide for themselves where their TV licence money goes. | If the licence fee is going to be divvied up between different content producers, it shouldn't be done by the government deciding who gets what. Instead, each license fee payer should decide for themselves where their TV licence money goes. |
| Gadget Guru speculates on what to expect from the report for broadband, online piracy, media ownership, channel 4, BBC Worldwide and regional news, predicting the report won't be definitive: | Gadget Guru speculates on what to expect from the report for broadband, online piracy, media ownership, channel 4, BBC Worldwide and regional news, predicting the report won't be definitive: |
| Carter and the former culture secretary, Andy Burnham, have already begun managing expectations around tomorrow's report. Burnham has said not to expect a "tablet of stone" but "powerful seeds and ideas" from which the future of public service broadcasting might be shaped. | Carter and the former culture secretary, Andy Burnham, have already begun managing expectations around tomorrow's report. Burnham has said not to expect a "tablet of stone" but "powerful seeds and ideas" from which the future of public service broadcasting might be shaped. |
| The Connecting Bristol blog proclaims that Bristol is ready for Lord Carter's report: | The Connecting Bristol blog proclaims that Bristol is ready for Lord Carter's report: |
| On the eve of Lord Carter's final Digital Britain Report our latest city data shows that Bristol's residents are ready and waiting 3 in every 4 are already regular Internet users who have used the Web in the last week. | On the eve of Lord Carter's final Digital Britain Report our latest city data shows that Bristol's residents are ready and waiting 3 in every 4 are already regular Internet users who have used the Web in the last week. |