Examination of Witnesses (Questions 160-161)
TUESDAY 8 APRIL 2003
MR DAVID
WILLIAMS, MR
PETER JAGGARD
AND MR
ROGER WALKER
160. You have talked about things that the Government
could help you with, marketing or dropping the price of the licence,
or things like that, would you have any concerns that if the Government
or the RDA did give assistance like this, and therefore intervened
in the broadband market, they would be contravening European state
aid rules?
(Mr Williams) I do not know enough about state aid
rules to give a very detailed answer to that. I think if the Government
regards the provision of broadband services as a public good in
the same way as it does in the provision of roads and street lighting
then perhaps there is a fairly simple way round that.
(Mr Walker) I think internet access itself is going
to be an essential. Statistics we are seeing show how much broadband
internet access is helping students in their learning towards
degrees, and so on. People who have broadband internet access
are so much ahead of people who do not. There is two sides, one
is that we need to appreciate more about state aid and the second
is there is the whole awareness part of what can be provided from
broadband and what can be benefited from broadband internet access
that can be pushed at a higher level than is currently provided.
Awareness of what can be provided and benefited from internet
is very low at certain levels.
161. You have obviously had contact through
RDAs and through talks with the Government about piggy-backing
on the back of other state provision, we are the select committee
for DEFRA, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,
how much have you had contact with that Department and how much
are you aware of them trying to promote broadband roll-out in
rural areas?
(Mr Williams) This is the first time for us.
(Mr Walker) Also for us.
(Mr Jaggard) Likewise.
Chairman: Thank you very much, gentlemen.
Can I say that it has been an interesting session, there are a
number of questions that we have here that we will be steering
in the direction of the appropriate ministers in the next few
weeks. Thank you very much for joining us this morning.
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