Broadband for all by 2012 in Britian

The Britain government in its Digital Britain report has set out its aim to develop a universal broadband service by 2012.

The report says that the service, which is vital for Britain should be one that offers nationwide broadband speeds of up to 2mb per second and includes wireless coverage.

The UK government stressed the importance of ensuring "that being digital is within the grasp of everyone," in the Digital Britain interim report.

The government said that it believes that a speed of 2mb per second is the most realistic option for a universal service, when factoring in costs, capability and the connection of the absolute number of homes.

It now intends to develop detailed proposals for the design and operation of a new, more broadly-based scheme to fund the universal service commitment, including who should contribute and its governance and accountability structures.

It plans to encourage the development of public service champions of universal take up and intends to appoint a digital inclusion champion and expert taskforce to drive the government's work on digital inclusion.

According to the interim report, the BBC will be invited to play a leading role, through marketing, cross-promotion and provision of content, to drive the public's interest in taking up broadband to ensure that public services online are designed for ease of use, encouraging a shift to online channels in delivery and service support.

The report, released by the department of culture, media and sports, says, "We must ensure that being digital is within the grasp of everyone. If we do not, we risk leaving significant parts of our society disenfranchised and permanently behind the mainstream. In so doing, we would fail to secure the full potential of these technologies for our country."

"This report sets out a strategy for building a knowledge economy where our most valuable assets are the skills and innovation that underpin our digital industries," said business secretary Peter Mandelson. "This is absolutely vital if Britain is to benefit from some of the greatest economic opportunities on offer this century."

According to Andy Burnham, the culture secretary, "Britain has always led the world in content creation -- with the best music, films, and TV -- and it is vital that we carry forward this strength into the digital age.

"This is a significant report for the creative industries, taking steps to establish workable systems of copyright in an online age and to preserve choice of public service content. But it is only the beginning of the process and we need to work hard in the coming months to secure workable solutions."