Digital Britain - The future of communications

Digital Britain - The future of communications

London, 17 October/GNN/ --

DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT News Release (106/08) issued by COI
News Distribution Service. 17 October 2008
JOINT DCMS/BERR PRESS RELEASE

An action plan to secure the UK's place at the forefront of innovation,
investment and quality in the digital and communications industries will
be developed by Stephen Carter, the first Minister for Communications,
Technology and Broadcasting.

Already a major force in the economy, worth over £52 billion a year, the
digital and communication sectors are growing in significance as the country
faces up to current financial and market challenges. Vital to underpinning
global economic activity, they are critical to every business in our economy,
acting both as a catalyst for creativity and allowing efficiency gains. And
they have a major impact on our culture and quality of life.

Drawing on expertise from across Government, regulators and industry, Lord
Carter's report will be a comprehensive analysis of our digital economy. Titled
'Digital Britain', the work has at its core an ambition to accelerate the rate
of growth, and cement the UK's position as a world leader in the knowledge
and learning economy. To achieve this Stephen Carter will bring forward
proposals for both Government and industry, to support the development of
these critical sectors.

Stephen Carter said:

"Communications have been revolutionised in the last 20 years, with consumers
and businesses alike embracing the opportunities and taking advantage of
the reality of the new technologies."

He added: "Digital Britain is about capturing the opportunities on offer
for UK PLC and the public, and advancing our standing as a world leader in
these industries.

"Our ambition is to see Digital Britain as the leading major economy
for innovation, investment and quality in the digital and communications
industries. We will seek to bring forward a unified framework to help maximise
the UK's competitive advantage and the benefits to society."

Stephen Carter's report will take forward and build on the wide-ranging
work from Government, regulators and industry that already addresses issues
around communications and convergence. It will bring together extensive
expert analysis to develop a strategy for a fully digital Britain.

Culture Secretary Andy Burnham said:

"We need to move quickly if we are to maximise the benefits of
convergence. Over the last year we've worked with experts to get a clear
understanding of the issues to address and obstacles to overcome if our
businesses and citizens are to take full advantage of technology. Now is
the time to move from the think tank phase to the delivery phase and focus
on the actions needed to bring benefits for both the economy and an enriched
society. This is a change of gear by the Government, and the Digital Britain
Report, led by Stephen, will be a key contribution to the digital future."

Secretary of State for Business Peter Mandelson said:

"The Government is determined that the UK will strengthen its place as a
word leader in the communications and digital technology sectors. For the
present financial and banking crisis, Britain must get through the worst
and prepare for the upturn. The digital economy will be central to this. The
digital Britain report will lead the way"

To ensure the UK maximises the benefits of convergence right across
the economy and society, a strategy will be developed to secure four key
conditions: open markets; empowered and informed consumers and citizens;
universal access to public service content; and a responsive regulatory
framework. Priorities in each of these areas will be:

Open markets providing investment, innovation and choice, at all levels of
the value chain including infrastructure, service provision and creation
of content.

- Broadband Development: examining options for maximising participation and
levels of service across the UK.

- Digital Radio: identifying barriers to wider investment and development
of digital radio platforms, and drawing lessons from the current digital
switchover television programme.

- Investment in Content: exploring business models for content development
in a digital age, and the impact of new media on the content market.

- Spectrum: identifying the barriers to the release of spectrum and a fully
functioning market in the trading and use of spectrum.

Empowered and informed consumers and citizens fully equipped to take advantage
of the opportunities convergence brings.

- Internet: looking at a range of issues affecting internet users, such as user
security and safety and a workable approach to promoting content standards.

- Media Literacy and IT skills: identifying inhibitors to IT take-up and
barriers to maximising the economic and social effects of digital technologies
including empowering consumers.

Universal access to high quality, public service content through appropriate
mechanisms for a converged digital age.

- Public Service Broadcasting/Content: evaluating the impact of digitalisation
and the new technologies on public service broadcasting assets and public
service licences, in the UK as a whole and in the nations and regions.

- Independent Production: examining how to ensure the health of a vibrant
independent production sector, including examining the impact of the current
quota system.

A responsive regulatory framework that maximises investment and innovation
by providing certainty and equipping regulators with the right tools to
achieve their objectives.

- Intellectual property: the DIUS study of copyright will be important to
the Digital Britain report.

The extensive research already carried out by Government and industry
regulator Ofcom will underpin this work. The Digital Britain report will draw
on all the available evidence to develop a comprehensive action plan. It is
clear that for many people convergence is already a reality and content is
increasingly being accessed through different technologies.

The Digital Britain report will consider what future legislative and
non-legislative measures are required to support the development of these
critical sectors and will be published in spring 2009.

Notes to Editors

1. The information and communications technologies and broadcasting together
account for 5.9% of GDP, with a turnover of over £52 billion a year. 500,000
people are employed in these sectors in the UK.

2. Convergence can be defined as the merging of the individual communications
industries (IT, broadcasting, telecommunications etc) into a single converged
market. The breaking down of the traditional barriers between technologies
has the potential to alter dramatically the landscape of the relevant sectors
and those who interrelate with them. In practice convergence covers a wide
range of issues, as well as most of the regulatory and legislative regimes
that are currently in place.

3. The Government has already undertaken much important work in this area,
particularly:

* The recently published Caio review on next generation broadband access;

* The Digital Radio Working Group currently scheduled to deliver a report
in December;

* The recent memorandum of understanding to address file sharing between
Internet Service Providers and rights holders;

* The Byron Review on children and new technology leading to the UK Council
for Child Internet Safety;

* The work of the Convergence Think Tank; and

* The Digital Inclusion Action Plan.

4. The new position of Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting
was created by the Prime Minister in recognition of the important role
these sectors play in our economy and our society. There is no change to the
respective responsibilities of BERR and DCMS in this area. The Minister for
Communications, Technology and Broadcasting is a joint appointment to both
BERR and DCMS and will report to both Secretaries of State.

Press enquiries 020 7211 6267
Out of hours telephone pager 07699 751153
Public enquiries 020 7211 6200
www.culture.gov.uk

2-4 Cockspur Street
London SW1Y 5DH
www.culture.gov.uk

Source: Department for Culture, Media and Sport

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