Confidence surrounds new broadband minister
The recent appointment of Baroness Shriti Vadera to the position of parliamentary under secretary of state for business and competitiveness has been welcomed by the vast majority of those within the online communications secretary.
Coming from a business background, which included a lengthy stint in investment banking as well as the Treasury, Baroness Vadera is well-placed to take on the role, which will see her oversee the upgrading of a national broadband infrastructure which has come in for significant criticism over recent months.
However, it is not so much her impressive CV as her professional attitude that has instilled into many industry insiders a confidence that she can carry on the good work of Stephen Timms, who had spoken on several occasions about the importance of high-speed broadband.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the new minister is "one of Westminster's most controversial figures," with a "forceful" manner that led to her referring to Railtrack shareholders as "grannies".
Just as the Baroness took up her position, the Baroness' department was advised by the Japanese vice-minister for communications policy that the UK government needs to set a deadline for ensuring ubiquitous access to high-speed broadband if the country is not to be left behind technologically and, ultimately, economically.
Already Japan has rolled out 100Mbps fibre broadband to 85 per cent of households, Kiyooshi Mori stated, with complete access set for 2010, in line with its government's four-year plan.
"Studies showed that the ICT industry accounts for 40 per cent of real Japanese GDP," he added.
"This helped the government realise the importance of starting a programme for ubiquitous access with a deadline."
At the same time, business leaders and Internet Service Providers have also repeated their arguments that the government's current 'hands-off' approach to regulating investment in broadband is the correct one, though the government does still have a role in educating UK enterprises about the technical set-ups they need to optimise their network connections, the Baroness will be advised.
Despite the general sense of optimism, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has warned that the sector can only move forward if Baroness Vadera is allowed to establish herself in her new role and push through the long-term goals.
Lucy Findlay, head of enterprise at the CBI, noted: "This is the fifth minister in this role in less than three years. The constant changing of faces and portfolios has been unhelpful to building a long-term dialogue, so it is important that we now see a period of stability."
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