Digital Britain team recommits to 50p levy
The Digital Britain team has rejected any suggestion that the 50p copper phone line is to be dropped.
In the face of the Government seemingly cooling on the idea, the Digital Britain team recommitted itself to a 2010 deadline for the 50p levy to become established (digitalbritainforum.org.uk).
The move follows much debate within politics and new media as to whether the tax, which surprised many when it was suggest in the Spring, will ever be initiated. It has the problem of people feeling they are subsidising next generation access (NGA) in other regions when they may not even be interested in having it themselves.
The proposed 50p monthly levy is expected to raise £150m to £175m per year which would go towards companies and communities bidding, through a reverse auction, for funds to roll out NGA in areas where the business case for fibre is less compelling for BT, or another commercial telecommunications company.
Timms cooling on the levy?
At the weekend Stephen Timms, the new minister in charge of Digital Britain, appeared comparatively cool on the idea of the 50p levy. In interviews with the Guardian and The Sunday Times he predicted the tax would not be presented to parliament until after the next general election.
This means that the levy is unlikely to feature in legislation he is due to present to parliament this autumn in order to make the necessary legal changes to allow the Digital Britain report to be implemented.
The Tories, who are currently way ahead in opinion polls, are committed to dropping the tax.
Hence the Digital Britain team has felt the need to reiterate, once more, that Government policy is to stick with the tax, despite Timms’ admission it will probably not be put before parliament before the next election in Spring 2010.
The post also criticised commentators who claim the Government should knock BT ‘into shape’ and ‘get on with it’ pointing out that the issues were far too complicated for immediate action and that the levy would raise a serious amount of money to roll out much needed NGA projects.
Tags: 50p, Broadband Fibre, BT, copper tax, Digital Britain, NGA, phone tax, Stephen Timms
Category: Broadband Availability, Broadband Fibre, Broadband Issues, Broadband Performance, Broadband Regulation
August 18th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
the post actually thanked commentators… get it right.
They made excuses for not ‘getting on with it’ and still miss the point that they have to take the bull by the horns and ‘get IT’ .
If we all gave up on projects because they were difficult then nothing would get done. The victorians would have reveled in a challenge like fibre to the home. They would have realised that being ahead in the global village digital revolution is crucial to the future of the UK. FFS what are we paying the digitialbritain team for if not to sort it all out and get on with it? They have the power. They could do it if they wanted to. They still don’t get IT.
August 19th, 2009 at 7:59 am
you’re right, they did thank commentators, as govt posts always do. but the overall tone was one of incredulity when people tell them they don’t ‘get it’ and don’t ’sort out BT’. read the post and it’s quite a thinly veiled pop at those commentators they start off thanking
August 19th, 2009 at 9:01 am
” sort it all out and get on with it”
who do you want to do what, and who do you want to pay for it ?
August 22nd, 2009 at 7:37 pm
If they are incredulous then it is obvious they don’t get IT.
You can’t have the prime minister rabbiting on at TED conference and news progs how wonderful broadband is and that he is in the process of building a next generation digital britain and then expect us to celebrate a paltry 2meg USC when korea et al are gonna go for a gig.
If BT, Ofcom, govt and everyone else said ’sorry, we are strapped for cash, and would rather pay out bankers, fight other peoples wars, support immigrants and their families abroad, pay millions of healthy people to stay at home and twiddle their thumbs on the dole… i could go on…
so sorry, we can’t actually spend 25 billion on delivering top quality futureproof broadband to this country.
Well if they said that fine, that would mean they got it. We could then argue our side. But they are saying one thing and delivering another.
So if you are right and they do get it, then they are liars. which is it?
If we are going to compete in the global digital revolution we need ubiquitous broadband. Not a patched up obsolete victorian phone network. end of.