Carter under attack over Digital vision

CRITICS were yesterday lining up to say that Lord Carter’s Digital Britain Report had failed to prepare the nation for a digital future. 
 

The communications minister, who is leaving the government this summer, outlined plans to use part of the BBC’s “switchover surplus” – money earmarked to pay for the digital switchover – and a new 50p-a-month telephone tax to help fund universal 2Mbps broadband access.
 

Part of the BBC surplus will also be used to fund regional news and possibly children’s programming on commercial broadcasters, the report said. 
 

But the much-anticipated report failed to give a clear direction on the proposed partnership between Channel 4 and BBC Worldwide.
 

Shadow Culture minister Jeremy Hunt said the white paper was a “colossal disappointment”.
 

Culture minister Ben Bradshaw confirmed BBC fears when he said that the majority of the £200m earmarked for universal broadband would come from the switchover surplus.
 

In addition, a “small part” of this fund could be used to pay for regional news shows on commercial stations in Scotland, Wales and an English region.
 

“The Trust will not sit quietly by and watch this happen,” said BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons, who says that the “top slicing” of license payers’ money would compromise the BBC’s independence.
 

But John Hardie, chief executive officer of news producer ITN, said: “Those  who are shielded from commercial realities should not be allowed to delay this funding intervention.” 
 

The report also said the OFT had recommended that the rules governing local news papers should not be relaxed, a major blow to the struggling sector.