Our clients include government departments as well as commercial organisations. The former have to look at who might be left behind and excluded from the wonderful array of new digital services that are appearing. Our regulatory experience includes:

• Conducting a review of how digital divide can be reduced – particularly with respect to digital TV as we move towards switchover
• Conducting a review of media literacy – looking at regulatory models across the electronic communications landscape and what level of responsibility they pass on to consumers

Many consumers are attracted to digital technology because of the choice of services, flexibility and convenience that the technology offers.

• The first great switch to digital was in recorded music, with the arrival of the compact disc. Sound quality and the convenience of the medium and players seem to have been the main drivers of adoption.
• Since then broadcasting and photography have joined in the digital revolution.

However not all consumers are convinced. This is where the Government needs to facilitate action by stakeholders, perhaps with a degree of public funding – such as the set-top box support that the BBC is expected to provide for qualifying elderly citizens.