By Jo Best, 11 March 2009 11:03
NEWS
The BBC could help the rollout of super-fast broadband access under the government's Digital Britain plan.
The interim Digital Britain report, published earlier this month, paves the way for 2Mbps broadband for all UK households and considers the question of how to finance the rollout of next-generation fibre networks.
Minister for communications, technology and broadcasting Lord Stephen Carter, who is overseeing the report, yesterday suggested the BBC could have a part to play in funding the rollout of super-fast broadband networks to areas of the country not served by planned BT and Virgin Media fibre rollouts.
"The public policy question is what about the other half of the country [outside BT and Virgin Media fibre areas]? At this stage I don't think we can give you an answer to who funds it. There are multiple answers," he told the House of Commons Business and Enterprise Committee.
"We will do a comparative analysis, we will see what makes most sense and then we will look at how, if a case is made, how we fund that.
"Is there a role for the BBC? Possibly," Lord Carter added.
According to the minister, the increase in online media consumption could open the door to BBC involvement.
"More and more people are getting their media experience from the internet and most predictions are that internet use is doubling every two years. In terms of what people are getting off the internet, even at the lowest levels of predictions, they say that 20 per cent of media consumption will be internet-based rather than any other form of distribution.
"So if that's the case, would you not see the nation's state-funded content provider as having a role? It would seem to me you would," he said.
It's not the first time Lord Carter has suggested the BBC could be involved in the future of broadband. The Digital Britain report recommends that the Beeb gets involved in marketing, cross-promoting and providing digital content, in order to encourage fat-pipe refuseniks to get connected.
According to the report, the BBC's video on demand service, iPlayer, is a good example of a service that will promote broadband adoption.
According to a Home Office spokeswoman, the BBC could potentially have a part to play in either the UK's move to universal broadband or the availability of next-generation broadband networks.
"It's a possibility but I don't think [Lord Carter] is saying we've made a decision on that," she said.
Comments
There are 5 comments. Join the discussion
1. Karen Challinor
at the end of the day it all comes out of the publics pockets
however if the BBC fund this then it's an excellent reason to increase the license fee again, so people who do not have internet access, yes they do exist, will end up paying for those that do
so for me, the BBC should stick to making tv programmes and simply make their content available in a standard format for download or stream if they wish
they should not be spending license payers money on things which license payers may not be able to use
2. drew stephenson
C'mon folks you can do better than this! Please don't accept that government spin and use the words "superfast broadband" followed by 2MB/sec.
100 MB/sec is superfast, 50 i will accept, but 2 is just bog-standard broadband and just serves to illustrate how removed from technology this government and it's ambitions are.
3. GALLEYSLAVE
Let us all hope that this is just 'polikspeak' and the BEEB never get involved or we shall never see hi-speed internet nor will we be able to complain to anybody about bad service.
4. Chris Goodman
Minister for communications, technology and broadcasting Lord Stephen Carter is not reasoning very well. The BBC is funded by the TV licence, a tax which is raised for a specific purpose. And, whether he likes it or not, funding broadband is NOT part of the specific purpose.
General taxation should be used to partly fund optic fibre installation as a partner with BT, etc.
Competition that would result in wasteful duplication must be avoided and ducting must be centrally controlled and be suitable to take a number of cables.
5. Radical Meldrew
So the latest spin is to get the BEEB involved in providing broadband! What next BBC cola? Oops, just realised that another internet provider has already tried that one.
If the BBC became another ISP, an area which it does not currently have any expertise, it would be a huge misuse of the revenue collected specifically for providing TV & radio services. Programme quality is bad enough already without the diversion of funds into another new excuse for the license fee to be raised above inflation - again.
I have to ask what planet are these politicians from? They think that all public money, no matter why it is collected, is theirs to divert to their pet projects as they see fit. As I see it BT is restrained to charge its competitors fairly and is best placed to provide the new services by simply extending it's existing network and charging accordingly. Simples!