CENTRAL to our ambition [to lead the country out of recession] will be ensuring the competitive edge of our digital, communication and creative industries.

Important in their own right, these sectors have been home to some of the UK’s biggest success stories over the last decade – generating billions for our economy.

But these industries are also fundamental to the future of all UK businesses.

Broadband isn’t just going to underwrite the communications industry; it will redefine the productivity and competitiveness of UK companies for decades to come. We’re already seeing its impact on business models across all sectors.

Also opening up new forms of communication between customers and business, the public and Government, politicians and their constituents. And not a moment too soon. That means an even greater demand for information, access and new ways of doing business and conducting our lives. Content, formats, applications and services are all areas where the UK excels and sells around the world. So it is even more critical for Britain than for many other countries to have a framework that ensures those who create that content can successfully uphold their right to exploit it both in the home market and around the globe.

This is one of the most important bridges to our economic future. And I believe there’s a clear, strategic role for Government to help make it a reality. The UK can’t take its pioneer status for granted.

The market, unaided, will provide some of the next-generation infrastructure that the UK needs. But government cannot be indifferent to the wider national needs for a globally competitive economy.

Can we rest comfortable with the thought that only half of Britain’s homes and perhaps fewer small businesses will have access to next generation broadband over the next few years? I don’t think so.

As a government, we need to make sure that transformational technologies like broadband are genuinely available to everyone.