Digital Britain is changing many aspects of our lives.

16 June 2009

David Kidney MP says the government’s Digital Britain report published today will help us to build the infrastructure and skills we need for effective communication.

The Digital revolution is happening all around us now. Other countries see and embrace the opportunities it brings. The digital economy in Britain currently amounts to 8% of GDP. We need to ensure we are not left behind,  and that all our communities can benefit from the opportunities.

We will find the digital revolution increasingly affects how we learn, work, get news and information, and access government services.

Digital Britain is an ambitious plan to accelerate growth in the digital industries and ensure Britain remains a world leader for innovation, investment and quality.

We will be investing in the infrastructure to ensure as many people as possible can benefit from fast broadband connections, and we will also be investing in digital skills.   A £300 million Home Access scheme gives children in low-income families access to computers and the internet.  

A new Digital Inclusion Champion Martha Lane Fox, has been appointed to ensure the benefits that technology brings to society reach those who are most socially excluded and digitally excluded.

The report also looks at what can be done to support the provision of local news. The accurate reporting of local news is important. It is the case that local newspapers are threatened both by the recession and by the new social media. It is proposed to use a small element of the BBC licence fee to fund independent news consortia.

The proposals contained in the Digital Britain report are essential for building an economy and society where core working activities are based around knowledge, skills and information.

You might like to take part in an online forum looking at how we can make better use of digital information.