The UK’s Department for Media, Culture and Sport will now be known as the department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport, retaining the same DCMS acronym.
The name change has been agreed between culture secretary Karen Bradley (who is now the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) and Prime Minister Theresa May to reflect the growing importance of technology in government.
DCMS, as the name suggests, has responsibilities for the arts and cultural sectors, but also the creative and technology industries.
For example, it allocated the government funding available for superfast broadband rollout, has invested in the UK’s smart city pilots and launched initiatives to protect businesses from cybersecurity threats.
DCMs also sponsors Ofcom – the telecommunications regulator – and has recently turned its attention towards 5G and the deployment of ultrafast broadband powered by ‘pure’ fibre technologies.
“DCMS celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and it is fitting now to include Digital in the name,” said Bradley.
“The department has taken on significant new responsibilities in recent years, so that half of its policy and delivery work now covers the digital sectors – telecommunications, data protection, Internet safety, cyber skills and parts of media and the creative industries.”
The DCMS has also undertaken responsibility and oversight for data protection and privacy from the Ministry of justice and is also the sponsor of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).