Broadband to all British homes by 2012

The 86-page 'Digital Britain' report laid out an ambitious 22-point action plan that will enable the U.K. government to make broadband ubiquitous across the country by 2012. It also addressed plans for public service broadcasting.

Lord Carter's report expressed concerns that the U.K. could slip further behind other countries such as emerging Asian populations and the U.S. under Barack Obama.

Britain has already slipped from its top seven placement in the European Commission's global league table of digital adoption in 2000, to a current 12th place.

The importance of the Internet to the British economy was also recognized. "The UK's digital economy accounts for around 8% of GDP. It has been one of the fastest growing successes of the past decade," stated the report.

"Our take up of first generation broadband has grown faster than that of almost all the other major economies. Britain has the highest proportion of internet advertising of any developed economy. By 2012, £1 ($1.4) in every £5 ($7.14) all of new commerce in this country will be online."