Hunt in charge of broadband rollout

Culture secretary receives remit in coalition government

Culture secretary to speed up the rollout of broadband

Prime minister David Cameron has given Jeremy Hunt the role of culture secretary, with orders to speed up the rollout of super-fast broadband across Britain.

Hunt, who held the same post in the Tory shadow cabinet, called for wholesale deregulation of the current broadband infrastructure at the time, with the aim of providing access to a next-generation high-speed network for the majority of the population within five years, with "near-universal provision" as soon as possible after that.

He also wants to freeze the price of the BBC licence fee from its next review in 2012 and is likely to seek to reduce the organisation's involvement in internet content provision to clear the way for commercial alternatives, making it easier for private sector providers to charge.

He has made it clear that he sees the digital revolution as a massive opportunity for the UK to exploit its strengths in creating intellectual property, but believes the Labour government held up progress.

He also wants it left to the market to decide how to meet the need for rollout and wants dark fibre, Openreach’s ducts and the sub-local loop to be opened up to other operators.

Among other lower-level appointments so far, Cameron has named John Hayes, a former director of the IT company Beta Base Ltd in Nottingham, as a senior minister in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) headed by Lib Dem former shadow chancellor Vince Cable.

Another BIS minister is Mark Prisk, a former chartered surveyor and development consultant, who has been in charge of enterprise, deregulation and competition in the Tory shadow team.

Further appointments at a more junior ministerial rank are to come.