The “Digital Britain” report was announced yesterday by the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport, Ben Bradshaw.
The path to this report has not been without difficulties, the interim report was widely derided for its lack of consultation and vision, but in many ways defining the scope of “Digital Britain” is part of the journey. If the final report betrays these travails, and Lord Carter’s background at Ofcom, it is not without merit.
Having worked on Digital inclusion projects for a decade, I’m always pleased to see inclusion at the heart of any strategy, and, with the Digital Switchover concentrating minds, it remains a key principle. Of course, digital inclusion rates are dependent on more mainstream issues, such as education, poverty and aspiration. The principle remains, that digital technology needs to be available to all who want or need it.
The eye-catching side of the report is about connectivity. Both a universal service requirement for 2mb Broadband – and, what was missing from the interim report, a genuine desire to move forward with what is called “Next Generation Broadband”, the speeds up to 100mb upload and download, that are increasingly common in other parts of the world. The fixed line levy which will pay for this roll-out, bringing in £150 million a year, is a genuine rabbit out of the hat.
The report accepts that some of us are already in a digital Britain, and part of government’s job is to enable that sector to grow, through a mixture of policy and regulation. If our existing cable and BT networks are a key “sweatable” asset in terms of connectivity, the BBC and C4 – i.e. public service broadcasting – is seen as a key asset in terms of content and engagement.
There’s no radical dismantling planned, and public service broadcasting remains a jewel in the crown of UK PLC. Our broadcasters, BBC and C4 in particular, are seen as being key to the digital future – through initiatives such as the iPlayer and 4iP.
For the arts, “the new opportunities online enable arts and other genres to become their own commissioners and distributors to large audiences, building brands such as Tate, Royal Shakespeare Company and many others that are already showing global potential in the online world.”
Perhaps more important than the “vision” or otherwise expressed in “Digital Britain” is that the report’s publication, and the debate around it, emphasises what those of us with long involvement in digital technology and the networked world already know:- that we’re at the start of a journey, not the end, and that an understanding of how digital technologies are changing both how we work, and how we communicate with friends, colleagues and audiences, is going to remain an important part of everything we do.
There are good summaries of the main findings of the report from Emily Bell at the Guardian, and Bill Thompson’s thoughts are here.
I’m sure there will be opportunities at the forthcoming AmbITion roadshows to discuss the report further, and I imagine there will be plenty more debate in the next few days and weeks.
