Some Questions … Digital Britain …
Questions for Digital Britain Summit:
-Fixing the Plumbing - preparing for tomorrow’s digital networks today: a strategic review of the UK’s digital infrastructure, including an assessment of where we are on next generation networks following last year’s Caio Review;
Does the Caio review approach still hold good in the current economic climate - does this not now present an opportunity for a concerted joint wider investment in next generation access. A genuine Keynesian infrastructure project which could assist struggling IT industry, invest UK fibre manufacturing, and get unemployed construction workers laying fibre to the home.
-The Digital Arms Race - considering the international context for Digital Britain and UK Plc’s relative strengths in the context of developments around the globe;
Given that Australia has now overtaken many in the Digital Arms race, does this provide an impetus for the UK to follow suit? We know how difficult ‘commitments’ are but what are our aspirations? Why can’t we at least ‘aspire’ to having fibre to the premises with affordable and accessible 100Mbs speeds as in many other EU cities to, say, 50% of the population by 2014, with plans to take this to as near to 100% as we ever might be able to do by 2020?
-Promoting the Poetry - joining the dots between creativity and digital content: considering the wider opportunities and challenges for the creation and distribution of UK content at home and abroad;
Given the economic downturn does the panel see that support and investment in creative content should now be more of priority for the UK? What grants would it be able to make available for start-ups and established business that are now looking to move abroad?
-Being Digital - looking at how we can ensure that everyone in Digital Britain can participate and take advantage of the opportunities and that all citizens and consumers can enjoy the benefits.
Does the panel see the value in ensuring that every household has access to high speed broadband in order to provide for a school/college environment in the home, such as the Home Access initiative and recent thinking by DIUS would suggest, a ‘clinic’ in the home for those who need to take advantage of telecare/telemedicine in an ageing population; and providing the ‘workplace in the home’ to encourage innovation and enterprise. Each of these could be supported by local learning hubs - perhaps in closed retail outlets/workplaces-enterprise/media centre’s/health centre’s that provide the very high end in state of the art digital facilities.
and
“In respect of new development schemes, does the Panel believe there should there be an equivalent for NGA of the Merton Rule, the principle of which is now enshrined in national planning policy (PPS1 Planning & Climate Change, December 2007), that has played a key role in driving on-site renewable energy generation and supply through a combination of local planning policy promoting this objective and controlling development to secure its delivery, often via Energy Service Company models that could extend to deliver NGA”?
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