[1] Created in 2001 by then Minister for E-Commerce and Competitiveness Stephen Timms, it provides a neutral forum for organisations across the converging broadband value-chain to discuss and resolve key policy, regulatory, and commercial issues, with the ultimate aim of helping to create a strong and competitive UK knowledge economy.
In September 2008, the BSG published 'The costs of deploying fibre-based next generation broadband infrastructure' as an input to the UK government's independent review of next generation broadband in the UK, led by former Cable and Wireless CEO Francesco Caio.
[10] Its initial position on superfast broadband was that the government and the regulator should leave investment in telecommunications infrastructure to the market; since 2009, however, it has worked with governments to ensure the most successful use of funds that have been made available for the deployment of superfast broadband in rural areas.
It continues to work on issues in this area through the COTS Project (which seeks to enable the provision of services by large ISPs on alternative access networks) and its work on the application of non-domestic rates to superfast broadband networks in rural areas.
At the request of the Minister for Communications Ed Vaizey MP, BSG is currently facilitating industry discussions between ISPs and content providers over principles to underpin the Open Internet, reflecting the Internet's value as a platform for innovation, the need for operators to manage the traffic on their networks, and the desire to ensure that the business models of the future for Internet-based services can be allowed to develop.
The BSG has also continued to work on the implementation of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive in the UK.