Gordon Brown calls for broadband for all
Gordon Brown today backed broadband for all amid claims that universal broadband access is crucial for the future success of Britain’s economy.
Speaking at the Digital Britain summit in London, Brown told the leading players from the media, music, telecoms and technology industries that blanket high speed internet access “lies at the heart” of Britain’s economic recovery.
In the prime minister’s keynote address at the British Library in London this morning, he said a digital revolution is integral to the country’s economy and highlighted the important role that broadband and the media industry can play in pulling the UK out of recession.
“I do think that the digital revolution lies at the heart of success for Britain in the years to come,” Brown said. “Achieving that goal of universal connectivity to broadband will be a critical stepping stone to a digital Britain.”
Brown said that the challenges Britain face will be using its skills in technological and creative industries to take advantage of emerging markets.
“Only by embracing a digital Britain and taking a lead in the global digital economy can we maintain our competitiveness as one of the world’s leading economic and industrial powers in years to come,” he said.
Brown predicts that the global economy will double in size over the next two decades, with billions of people in India, China and other parts of Asia becoming consumers of goods and services.
“We may not compete with them on scale or low pay, but we can compete on high value-added goods, and services,” he added.
Lord Mandelson, the trade secretary, backed Brown’s comments and stressed the importance of a fully digital UK, which he said is “critical” to the UK’s economic success.
Mandelson, also speaking at the Digital Britain summit, argued for government intervention in creative industries but couldn’t promise public funding to back this up.
Today’s summit comes ahead of Lord Carter’s final Digital Britain report, which is due to published in July, and will include how to achieve universal broadband access and ensure the future of public service broadcasting.
Carter’s final report is expected to lead to new legislation – the digital economy bill – which will introduce a number of changes to the regulations that cover television, radio and regional newspaper companies in the UK, allowing them to merge in order to meet the challenges of the digital age.
The government is also looking at introducing a fast-track legislation later this year to relax ownership regulations in a bid to help local newspaper and radio companies (see Government to relax local media ownership rules).
However, the quick-fix bill is unlikely to extend to wider relaxation of UK media ownership rules, which would require new primary legislation.