The UK government is attempting to bring together all government departments to consider the future possibilities of information superhighways in the public sector. The government’s Central Computer & Telecommunications Agency has published a consultative report, Information Superhighways – Opportunities For Public Sector Applications In The UK; government departments and other interested parties have until August 8 to reply. The Agency envisages a three-tier model of consumer services, systems and the highway infrastructure. It says the key to a highway being successful is to make the consumer service end cheap, available, easy to use and to make as many services available through the minimum number of systems. Touch-tone telephones and televisions with teletext facilities are the most obvious systems; the report points out that only a small number of UK households have personal computers and at ?1,000, it is unlikely that many would be willing to invest. Exactly what form the the highway would take is up for discussion. The Agency believes that many public bodies could benefit from it and private business could be interested in using the highway or methods of investing in it.
