Lord Carter wants Europe to have universal broadband by 2013
Exclusive: Lord Carter of Barnes has called for all Europeans to have universal access to wired and wireless broadband by 2013.
Published: 5:49PM BST 09 Jul 2009
The Digital Britain report was published by the government last month and compiled by Lord Carter of Barnes.
In a jointly authored piece with Viviane Reding, the EU Commissioner for Technology and Broadcasting, exclusively published by The Telegraph, the UK Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting has pinned his hopes for European economic recovery to the digital industries.
After publishing last month’s Digital Britain report, in which Lord Carter proposed a new landline tax to fund universal broadband, a crackdown on internet piracy and a 2015 digital radio switch-over date, the MP and the EU Commissioner are together looking beyond the UK to create a digital Europe.
“Firstly, we must ensure that Europe has a world class digital infrastructure, wired and wireless. We should set a goal for Europe to have high performing fixed and wireless broadband infrastructures which reach all Europeans by 2013.
“And to deliver on that wireless goal, across the EU we need to push ahead faster on the switchover from analogue to digital TV to release the necessary spectrum for new and emerging pan European wireless services.”
They added: “The incremental value of this spectrum for wireless broadband across the EU is estimated to be between €150 and €200 billion. Every corner of Europe can reap this "digital dividend", without costing the taxpayer a penny – if all EU governments act now.”
Lord Carter and Mr Reding have jointly called for a new debate on the inclusion of broadband internet into “universal service rules” to be placed high on the common EU agenda and urged immediate action to prevent a future digital divide.
“As we move towards a new European Commission mandate in the weeks to come, Europe is poised to sow the seeds of economic recovery. The time to act is now,” they said.
