Former ICL chief to lead broadband advisory group
Published: 11 Feb 2002 16:45 GMT
The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG), the industry body that advises the government on its broadband strategy, has a new chairman -- former ICL chief executive Keith Todd.
The appointment of Todd, who replaces e-commerce Minister Douglas Alexander as chairman of the Group, was announced on Monday. It was already known that Alexander was stepping down from the post. Todd begins his new job immediately.
BT and Telewest, who are both represented on the BSG, have already applauded the choice of Todd.
Alexander claimed that Todd's 25 years of experience in the IT sector made him a suitable choice to be the BSG's first independent chairman. "He brings with him a wealth of experience in the fast moving world of technology, and I greatly look forward to working with him," said Alexander in a statement.
Todd resigned as ICL chief executive in August 2000 after parent company Fujitsu abandoned plans to float ICL on the stock market. He had been appointed five year's earlier, replacing Sir Peter Bonfield who moved to become BT's chief executive.
BT's new chief executive, Ben Verwaayen, who took over from Bonfield this month, claimed that the BSG was capable of "dramatically transforming" the UK broadband services market. Verwaayen is poised to announce details of BT's new broadband strategy, which will include significant price cuts.
The BSG is made up of representatives from telcos, ISPs, national and regional government, manufacturers, content creators and development agencies. Its purpose is to advice the government on how it can make broadband a success in the UK, and achieve its aim of making Britain "most extensive and competitive broadband market in the G7 by 2005".
The BSG issued a report last December, in which it gave the government a number of recommendations. Its advice included aggregating public sector spending on broadband, as a way of encouraging telcos to offer broadband in rural areas, and also recommended that the government works closer with digital content makers.
The government accepted all but one recommendation, but refused to provide tax breaks to encourage investment -- despite the BSG warning that the telecoms sector was seen as too risky by many in the City.
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