One of the most interesting documents likely to be published in the UK in the next few months is Lord Stephen Carter’s Digital Britain report. The draft report is due to be published by the end of this month, and it’s likely to cover things like public service, broadband and digital radio. The recent DRWG report has been passed to Lord Carter’s team.
But the leaks are starting now. Today’s FT has a report that details what is likely to be the highest profile element of his report: universal broadband access.
Currently 40% of households don’t have broadband access, and after years of growth, the increase has slowed.
The Digital Britain report proposes that every household in the UK should have access to at least 2 megabits per second download speed. This would be either via fixed wires, or via wireless 3G technology in rural areas.
What isn’t clear from the FT’s reports is how this would be funded, and how much it would cost householders. If 40% of homes have yet to subscribe to broadband, many are obviously in areas that can receive broadband currently. So are they not subscribing because it’s too expensive? Or do they not have PCs? There’s not really a “pay as you go” broadband offering – you’re generally tied into 12 month contracts which some find either unaffordable or otherwise unviable. And of course, not everyone owns a PC or other device that would make use of the internet.
Without universal access to the internet, we are already becoming a two-tiered society. So giving access to all is important.
More on Digital Britain once the draft report is published, including much about radio…