Digital meltdown in the Green Party's cultural inquiry

Broadband tax, more private copying levies and state-controlled development of digital payment models. This is what the Green Party has called for when investigating its future cultural policy.

In connection with its election victory last year, the Green Party Executive Committee commissioned a working group to draft a new green cultural policy. Dimensions such as digitalization, accessibility and globalization were to be given special consideration.

Today, the results of a year of hard work were presented. When it comes to digitization, the conclusions leave much to be desired.

The working group notes that, despite the internet, it is difficult to bring culture to the whole country.

From this it is deduced that:

"Some form of broadband tax should be introduced and all internet operators operating commercially in Sweden must be taxable in the country."

It is difficult to spread culture. So that's why the infrastructure they say will enable the spread of culture should be taxed.

And what will the tax revenue be used for? Yes they will:

"Dedicated to research to develop new payment models for digital platforms and to explore how contracts with public and commercial actors should be written in the future."

So they want to excise a public utility infrastructure, a green one I might add, to finance, pardon the paraphrasing, "some kind of" government research initiative on payment models for the digital media market?

Furthermore:

"Broadband to be rolled out across the country..."

That sounds great. But why do we want it? And who will pay for it? It's not mentioned anywhere. Perhaps "some kind" of broadband tax will make that calculation...

In addition, Sweden will work to introduce fixed, statutory levels of remuneration for the digital consumption of cultural creators' works. The remuneration should be guaranteed via some form of supranational distribution mechanism within the EU based on the private copying model. Does anyone believe in this idea?

The glimmer of light in the conclusions is the requirement for public cultural institutions to make their productions available digitally. Not unlike the requirements previously proposed by IT&Telecom companies to receive production support for film.

Otherwise, the conclusions are one big technophobic whine. Sorry to say. No visions. Hardly anything about digital opportunities and mostly an empty cry for the right to get paid. Is this how the Green Party relates to the possibilities of digitalization for the cultural sector?

The Party Executive Committee would be wise to consign the report's digitization proposals to the dustbin.