Mr Brown’s New Deal
5th January 2009
In December last year I tentatively suggested that some of the Chancellor’s billions earmarked to boost the economy might be spent on a Next Generation Broadband Network. Today I feel a bit like Smugly McSmug after Gordon Brown’s interview with The Observer where he suggested that
When we talk about the roads and the bridges and the railways that were built in previous times – and those were anti-recession measures taken to help people through difficult times – you could [by comparison] talk about the digital infrastructure and that form of communications revolution at a period when we want to stimulate the economy
OK, so if I’m honest it’s not exactly the most earth-shattering of predictions but it made me happy, not least of all because of the possible implications.
For one thing, it is interesting to see that following these heavy hints from the PM there have been rumours that Lord Carter’s Digital Review will recommend that BT be released from their obligation to provide universal home access to telephony but will also suggest that universal broadband access be made an industry wide obligation. Coincidence?
Anyway, it will be interesting to see what drops out of these hints and suppositions and a superfast broadband network would be nice, eh?
