§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps she is taking to introduce and improve accessibility within the United Kingdom to modern broad band optical fibre communications; and if she will make a statement. [52326]
§ Mrs. RocheThe Government set out their strategy in this area in the policy statements 'Our Information Age' and 'Broadband Britain' which were published in April. The latter dealt specifically with the issue of lifting the broadcast restrictions from BT and other Public Telecommunications Operators. On this issue and in our Information Age strategy, more generally, we are committed to encouraging investment in both advanced communications infrastructure and new services, and ensuring widespread access to services at affordable prices. To ensure that we keep pace with these issues, we have also launched a Green Paper reviewing the regulatory framework for telecommunications and broadcasting in response to digital convergence. I also expect, later this year, to launch a consultation on the use of significant additional radio spectrum for the delivery of broadband services, which will help address those areas of the country currently with limited competitive provision. Uptake and use are just as important as provision of broadband. We promote this through our Information Society Initiative programme for Business, which now has sixty regional and local Support Centres. I have also relaunched the IT for All programme with £2.75 million of additional money, and there are now 2,700 access sites across the country.