London
The Economic Times (Bangalore edition)
The government on Tuesday declared a goal for Britain to become the world’s “digital capital” by building cutting-edge broadband, telecoms and media infrastructure to cement its role as a “global economic powerhouse.”
Prime minister Gordon Brown compared the digital revolution to the 19th century construction of roads and railways, which laid the foundations for the Industrial Revolution. Although it currently trails many countries in criteria such as broadband penetration and mobile phone usage, Brown said Britain could leapfrog into the global lead.
“Britain is going to lead the world. This is us taking the next step into the future, being the digital capital of the world,” he said before the publication of the long-awaited “Digital Britain” report later on Tuesday.
One long-contentious issue is the BBC, which critics say unfairly benefits from public funding. Reports at the weekend suggested there could be a shake-up of the licence fee, the levy which everyone has to pay to fund the broadcaster. Brown said high-speed broadband access would be as essential in the future as gas, electricity or water are now.
Writing in the ‘Times’, Brown said digital technology could help Britain emerge stronger from the current global downturn, which has hit London harder than some cities due to its dependence on banking and financial services.
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