British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is clear that digital networks are the backbone of the British economy in the coming decades, just as roads, bridges, railway, and electricity were in the 20th century. So, he launched a proposal for broadband reach throughout the UK by 2012. It was not clear, however, how the development plan will be financed.
The proposal came from Communications Minister Lord Carter of Barnes who expects the latest timeframe to be 2012 for everyone in the country to enjoy broadband at a minimum speed of 2Mb/s. The 1,750,000 households from rural areas would benefit the most, especially that they have no connection whatsoever. The financial backing remains to be uncertain.
The matter of combined use of cable and wireless technologies has been raised. The document entitled “Digital UK” pays particular attention to the second type of connection, and announces a fourth generation mobile broadband to be reserved for the radio spectrum. However, the conservative opposition has raised the point that the proposed broadband connectivity rate is low when half the country is presently at 3.6Mb/s. There is no mention of the possibility of cutting the Internet connection of citizens who violate the rules governing piracy of copyrighted media.
Via BRANDREPUBLIC
