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2003 communications act is to be reviewed
A review of the 2003 Communications Act will pave the way for new legislation for the telecoms industry.
Secretary of state Jeremy Hunt has written an open letter to the industry, seeking feedback from internet service providers, telecoms companies, media businesses and even consumer groups on how best to move forward to make the sector more competitive in the future.
He commented: "We want a communications framework that will drive growth and innovation, remove unnecessary burdens and continue to protect consumers and the public."
Indeed, it is hoped that an intensive review of the present legislation will highlight any issues and will help to support the sector for the next ten years and beyond.
Mr Hunt argued that this far-reaching overhaul of the legislation is required, as "ten years ago, few could have predicted the extent to which developments in communications and media technology would influence our lives".
Following completion of this consultation, the government plans to publish a green paper at the end of this year, followed by an outline for a new draft of the Communications Bill, a white paper and subsequent proposal to update the 2003 communications act by April 2013.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) recently called on the government to up its commitment to the installation of superfast broadband infrastructure.
The organisation noted that foreign investment in the delivery of this service fell from 6.4 billion (£112.9 billion) in 2007 to just .7 billion in 2009 as a result of the global economic crisis, with the CBI calling on the government to make up this continuing shortfall.
John Cridland, director general of the CBI, argued that a failure to invest in broadband infrastructure now could see the UK falling behind its European rivals over the coming years.