UK government can press ahead with technology policies following election result, says expert

IT and telecoms contract specialist Simon Colvin of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said UK businesses are relying on the new government to deliver the infrastructure necessary to help them compete with global rivals.

Colvin said that it is important that plans to improve the UK's telecommunications infrastructure are taken forward as a matter of priority.

"The majority win by the Conservatives will mean that there is hopefully little time lost in implementing their policy commitments," Colvin said. "On the technology side, this means we can welcome a strong push on the introduction of ultrafast broadband to ‘nearly all UK premises’ and universal roll out of basic broadband. We will wait to see how the ‘nearly all’ commitment is translated at policy level, recognising the challenges that come with creating a broadband market in the very hard to reach areas and seeking to bridge the digital divide."

"The digital communications infrastructure strategy previously issued by the last coalition government made significant reference to innovation and alternative models for delivery. We will wait to see how this is implemented, when coupled with the BBC licence fee investment," he said. "On the communications front more generally, the moves to free up 700MHz spectrum and support for infrastructure to implement its alternative use will be watched with interest. However, its implementation will certainly bring a much improved level of mobile connectivity."

Colvin said that, from past experience, the new government's plans to introduce new surveillance laws would be viewed by some onlookers as "the most controversial" of the technology policies that the government has pledged to deliver.

Earlier this year, UK prime minister David Cameron pledged to give UK law enforcement and intelligence gathering agencies "comprehensive" new powers to monitor communications and access data associated with those communications if he is still prime minister after the general election.

"Both pundits and critics will be watching to see how the government strengthens its oversight of use of the interception powers," Colvin said. "Given how the policy has changed with the previous government we will be keen to see the overall direction of travel on use and access to communications data generally."

In March, the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) in the UK parliament described the rules governing communications surveillance activities in the UK as "piecemeal" and "unnecessarily complicated" and said that has led to a "lack of transparency" over whether UK intelligence and security agencies are conducting surveillance operations within the law.

The Committee recommended a complete overhaul of the UK's surveillance laws. It said the new framework "must clearly set out the intrusive powers available to the agencies, the purposes for which they may use them, and the authorisation required before they may do so".