Two months into its term, the new UK coalition government is making noises about moving into the social-networking age, using crowdsourcing for getting rid of unwanted legislation and promising to put details of government expenditure online.

But this government faces two basic ICT (information and communication technologies) issues that could make or break their entire program, and both depend entirely on the Internet.

Firstly, can the government overcome its own internal ICT challenges, which are formidable, while reducing expenditure, losing headcount, migrating technologies, and reversing under-investment in infrastructure? It’s a task not unlike changing all four wheels on a car while it's still moving.

The solutions here have to involve rationalization and standardization of government Web use and infrastructure. The current lack of control is typified by a Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Website costing £35 million ($53 million) a year to run.

The UK government has already announced its commitment to "scrap hundreds of sites," an effort which, if handled properly, could become the first step toward the G-Cloud that John Suffolk, the government CIO, sees as inevitable. His vision includes the reduction in the number of government data centers from over 130 to around 10 -- something that cannot be done without next-generation broadband.

Which leads to the second issue the government faces: whether it can create the digital environment needed for industry to survive and thrive. When is super-fast broadband going to be delivered, and by whom?

While there is a limited penetration of the market by cable service companies, the bulk of Internet connection in the UK is through landlines managed by the de-nationalized telco BT (previously British Telecom). The problem is that much of the existing network is good old-fashioned copper.

On a good day, this can deliver 2 Mbit/s in ADSL mode. The next generation of broadband depends on converting all this metal to fiber-optic links. This is down to BT, which must find the capital and make a profit, while competing with cable providers and other suppliers.

In the present UK government, broadband is the remit of Jeremy Hunt, secretary of state (junior minister) for, believe it or not, Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (broadband is in the media bit). His main concern is how to prevent the 2012 Olympics from tearing holes in the new government's budgets.

Hunt has made one speech on broadband. This was strong on indignation at the UK's laggardly position in the super-fast broadband race, but short on ways and means -- and funding suggestions.

Hunt emphasized private-sector investment, with the possibility of some funding from shortfall in government spending elsewhere. So BT must do the best it can.

BT, however, is currently involved in a dispute with the Communication Workers Union (CWU) representing the 50,000 BT engineers responsible for installing fiber while maintaining the old lines.

The dispute follows BT making a £1 billion ($1.5 billion) profit last year, whereupon the company announced allegedly imbalanced and divisive dividends, bonuses, and pay settlements.

The engineers' union, which has had little chance to flex its muscles for the last 20 years, jumped on the opportunity and threatened strike action, despite a revised offer by BT, while the unions representing the other 50,000 staff accepted the original offer.

As of this writing, the ballot on a strike has been stalled by procedural problems and threats of litigation, although the union has said that it will re-ballot its members.

The government's response so far: silence. A key technology on which the public and private sectors depend for their future is left in the hands of a silent minister for sport and culture, and at the mercy of dinosaur-age management/union testosterone spats.

If the engineers do strike, it could stymie the installation of fiber as well as the maintenance and repair of the existing cable on which the bulk of UK Internet traffic and business depends.

If the engineers do not strike, the problem remains that we in the UK have a government that does not realize that the Internet has become vital national infrastructure, only one degree less vital than electricity and oil. I worry what it will take to wake them up.

— George Taylor worked in IT in both public and private sectors for over 20 years. He is a citizen of the UK.