U.K. Government to Map Out Digital Britain

LONDON, October 17: Stephen Carter, the U.K.’s new
minister for communications, technology and broadcasting, will spearhead an
action plan to keep the U.K. at the forefront of innovation, investment and
quality in the digital and communications industries.

Drawing on expertise from across the U.K. government,
regulators and industry, Carter’s report will be a comprehensive analysis of
the U.K.’s digital economy. Entitled Digital Britain, the work sets out to accelerate the rate of growth
and cement the U.K.’s position as a world leader in the knowledge and learning
economy. To achieve this Carter will bring forward proposals for both the
government and industry, to support the development of these critical sectors.

The digital and communications industries are worth
more than £52 billion a year, and are considered by the U.K. government to be
critical to every business in the country’s economy, acting both as a catalyst
for creativity and allowing efficiency gains, as well as having a major impact
on the U.K.’s culture and quality of life.

Carter said: “Communications have been revolutionized
in the last 20 years, with consumers and businesses alike embracing the
opportunities and taking advantage of the reality of the new technologies. Digital
Britain is about capturing the
opportunities on offer for U.K. 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 maximize the U.K.’s competitive advantage and the benefits to society.”

Culture Secretary
Andy Burnham added: “We need to move quickly if we are to maximize 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.”

—By Anna Carugati