Tuesday, June 16, 2009

UK: Digital Britain Report calls for 2 Mbps for 98% of homes by 2012, funded by 50p per month levy on fixed lines

[FT]
• Universal broadband access at 2 megabits per second by 2012. This will be partly funded by £200m from funds not used to help swithchover to digital television.

• A 50p-a-month levy will be imposed on all fixed copper lines to help create an independent “next generation fund” to help pay for faster broadband access.

• Aim to reduce digital piracy by 70 per cent.

• The BBC will lose a portion of its licence fee funding to help finance local and regional news after 2013. Before 2013, surplus from the digital switchover spend will help fund trials.

• All national radio stations to be digital by 2015

• Existing mobile operators’ 3G licences to be made indefinite rather than fixed to expire in 2021. This will help give mobile operators incentives to invest in their networks. No decision on how spectrum should be shared among the mobile operators to ensure they can build next generation networks. Ofcom may be directed to impose a solution in September.

• £300m home access scheme to be rolled out to help lower income families get access to broadband internet services.

• Ofcom to be given the role to encourage investment in the communications infrastructure and to warn government if that infrastructure is deficient.

• Government will look at whether to give games companies film-style tax breaks

Digital Britain report – key points

No comments: