Broadband News

Broadband writer Bill Thompson’s excitement over where Digital Britain is headed has swung from anxiety to mild optimism back to anxiety, all within a year.

Having worked for Pipex and then headed up the Guardian’s new media business in the ‘90s before going freelance for the likes of the BBC, he has had hands-on experience of the issues involved in giving the country a fast broadband network which spans the digital divide.

He was largely critical of the early Digital Britain work, fearing that it was not energetic enough in seeking diverse opinion and so he helped organise several events to collate opinion which was passed on to the Digital Britain team and, he reports, received with genuine interest.

Hence, when Lord Carter’s report was published in June he was optimistic.

“I thought it could have been more imaginative and that 2Mb as a new universal service obligation wasn’t very ambitious but at least it was a step forwards,” he reflects.

“Lord Carter’s team definitely sought opinion in the latter part of the process and that was reflected in a document which, although it could have aimed higher, at least got broadband established as a serious issue on the political landscape. It hadn’t been before but at least the report was a stake in the ground which said how vital it is to have a fast broadband network across the UK, how important digital inclusion is and how important getting it right is for the future of both society and the economy.”

Loss of pace?

Then, Thompson believes, the impetus started to peter out as Lord Carter left and the start of the summer recess was accompanied by  the Labour party receiving increasingly bad news as poll after poll showed the Conservative party to have a massive lead in public support.

With an election less than nine months away and with the opposition in such a commanding position in the opinion polls, Thompson believes broadband connectivity is starting to take a back seat once again, as clearly reflected in the attitude towards the 50p per month copper phone line tax which was due to raise revenue for fibre projects.

“I thought the 50p tax was quite an imaginative idea and although it wasn’t ever going to raise enough to roll out fibre across the country, it was a really good sign of intent from the Government,” he says.

“It seems to have been kicked in to the proverbial long grass, though. It’s not going to be debated until after the next election and the odds at the moment, if the polls are to be believed, there could well be a change of Government by then.“

Lord Mandelson deciding that Digital Britain gave Ofcom too long to consider disconnection for illegal file sharers is more evidence, to Thompson, that the spirit to consult with the telco industry is weakening at Westminster.

Election year blues

Hence, Thompson’s mood has slipped form apprehension, to mild optimism back to anxiety. The energy behind the Digital Britain report has now largely died away and with the next nine months bound to be dedicated to electioneering around the usual headline-grabbing topics of the economy, education and health, Thompson believes this loss of inertia will last for quite some time.

“It’s a real shame, I think the country has missed out on an opportunity to have digital connectivity and digital inclusion in a prime position at Whitehall,” he says.

“I think our only real chance now is something comes out of the party conference season. You never know, the Conservatives might come up with a big plan which labour might copy and then it could get Digital Britain at the centre of political debate.

“I think it’s most likely though that not much will happen for the best part of a year and where there is progress it will be a typically British mixture of fibre evolving as the providers expand their networks and local community groups get together to set up fibre projects.”

While Thompson is realistic enough to concede that the next election was always going to be fought over anything other than the major issues, most notably the economy, he is adamant that the energy behind the Digital Britain work will wane.

The irony is, he points out, that a Britain with fast connectivity available to all is not only beneficial for the economy but with its ability to foster home working and cut down on unnecessary business travel, it could also have a positive impact on global warming which, alongside the economy, is bound to be of major significance in the run up to the next election.