Closing the digital divide in Britain's rural areas and inner cities.Byline: Matt Johnson AS IS so often the case in government communications, there's a devil in the detail of the Digital Britain White Paper. The document published earlier this year set out ambitious plans to make sure all UK homes had access to broadband broadband Term describing the radiation from a source that produces a broad, continuous spectrum of frequencies (contrasted with a laser, which produces a single frequency or very narrow range of frequencies). speeds of two megabits per second (unit) megabits per second - (Mbps, Mb/s) Millions of bits per second. A unit of data rate. 1 Mb/s = 1,000,000 bits per second (not 1,048,576). E.g. Ethernet can carry 10 Mbps. by 2012. Just in time, perhaps, to enjoy highpoints of the London Olympics There have been two London Olympics (London hosting the Olympic Games), in 1908 and 1948, with a third scheduled for 2012. The planned 2012 Olympics will make London the first city to have hosted the modern Games of three Olympiads. taking place the same year - and creating a digital infrastructure headache all of their own. It is currently estimated that more than 2m people in rural areas have inadequate broadband. That''s one way of looking at, or trying to gauge, the extent of the digital divide in Britain. But it may be considered a rather narrow view. Is the significance of broadband speeds in rural areas linked to making sure relatively wealthy second home owners home owner home n → propriétaire occupant can spend more time away from their offices? Quite possibly, I''d suggest. Isn''t it as critical to ensure our digital networks offer fast connectivity to less prosperous areas in towns and inner cities, where deprivation DEPRIVATION, ecclesiastical Punishment. A censure by which a clergyman is deprived of his parsonage, vicarage, or other ecclesiastical promotion or dignity. Vide Ayliffe's Parerg. 206; 1 Bl. Com. 393. levels remain a barrier to engagement and economic growth? An attempt to narrow the digital divide, outlined in the White Paper, has come under extra scrutiny this week. The Government proposes a new tax of 50p a month on phone bills to bankroll bank·roll n. 1. A roll of paper money. 2. Informal One's ready cash. tr.v. bank·rolled, bank·roll·ing, bank·rolls Informal development of our digital networks. It could raise pounds 175m. Critics argue it amounts to over-zealous state intervention and raise concerns that it will only deter the private sector from spending to upgrade our networks. Telecom operators will have no incentive to invest their own cash if they can tap into a subsidy subsidy, financial assistance granted by a government or philanthropic foundation to a person or association for the purpose of promoting an enterprise considered beneficial to the public welfare. . The Conservatives, on the other hand, propose more deregulation Deregulation The reduction or elimination of government power in a particular industry, usually enacted to create more competition within the industry. Notes: Traditional areas that have been deregulated are the telephone and airline industries. comparable to France, where France Telecom has been forced to open its ducts so ISPs have been competing to lay high-speed networks. Subsequently, their rural coverage is better than here. The majority of broadband users in the UK rely on a broadband infrastructure provided via existing copper phone lines, which is inherently slower. Some estimates say that around 166,000 households are unable to access the internet at all, and a total of 11% of all homes can only get the slowest speeds. That, surely, is the issue that must be tackled if Britain is to remain a top player in the digital age. * MATT JOHNSON is chairman of Mando Group. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion