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Question to the Prime Minister

UK prime minister Gordon Brown is embracing the digital age by launching an internet version of Prime Minister's Question Time. Or to put it another way, he's finally cottoned on to the phenomenon of social networking. The initiative certainly seems popular — over 4,000 users have already subscribed to the site — but whether it lives up to expectations remains to be seen. Brown is inviting submissions by 21 June, which seems an awfully long time for a generation reared on instant messaging, and does not guarantee to answer all questions anyway.

I know what my question to the PM would be. The UK government would like fibre-to-the-home to be delivered by the private sector, but the private sector's view is that the market doesn't justify the investment. There's a huge disconnect between the two standpoints, with the result that fibre-to-the home penetration in the UK is virtually zero. How does the government plan to encourage the necessary investment?

Posted by Pauline Rigby on May 21, 2008 9:42 PM | Permalink