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Budget Broadband Snippet
22 Apr 2009 | 15.20 Europe/London
Hidden away in the depths of budget detail is a "Digital Britain" snippet:
Some indication of likely funding sources is also provided by the statement that "The Government will consult with the BBC Trust on how the emerging underspend from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme can be drawn on to fund Universal Service and take-up."
Digital Switchover (from analogue TV) has barely started, so the current underspend may ultimately disappear, but the final Digital Britain report will cover other funding options. There was no detail on the USO beyond the mention of 2 Mbits/s and that "Universal" means "virtually everyone".
Digital Region is a glacially slow project which has been grinding on since 2005 with a web site that is usually at least 6 months out of date. The signs are not promising.
"The Budget today announces that the Government will pursue Universal Service in broadband at 2 Megabits per second alongside further support to promote broadband take-up and basic digital skills.
The Budget also announces a review of the powers and duties of Ofcom to ensure it can strike the right balance between delivering competition and promoting investment and confirms approval for ‘Digital Region’, a £100 million project led by Yorkshire Forward that will roll-out next-generation broadband to South Yorkshire."
Some indication of likely funding sources is also provided by the statement that "The Government will consult with the BBC Trust on how the emerging underspend from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme can be drawn on to fund Universal Service and take-up."
Digital Switchover (from analogue TV) has barely started, so the current underspend may ultimately disappear, but the final Digital Britain report will cover other funding options. There was no detail on the USO beyond the mention of 2 Mbits/s and that "Universal" means "virtually everyone".
Digital Region is a glacially slow project which has been grinding on since 2005 with a web site that is usually at least 6 months out of date. The signs are not promising.