Government aims to bridge digital divide

Reaching the least well-off is proving difficult for the government, which plans to gove internet access to the UK's most deprived areas

The government is to spend £30m over the next three years to bring broadband access to schoolchildren and low-income families.

A further £600,000 has also been earmarked to subsidise home computers for entire year groups at 50 education institutions across the country, schools minister Jim Knight told an education conference last week.

The plan is the government’s latest attempt to bridge the digital divide between those with access to technology and those without.

The government has already invested £5bn in IT for schools since 1997 and another £837m is budgeted over the next three years, according to Knight.

“We have the highest levels of embedded technology in classrooms in the European Union (EU) and one computer for every three pupils,” he said.

“The next step is home access for all ­ we have to find a way to make access universal, or it is not fair.”

The ubiquitous use of computers and the internet are crucial to avoid reinforcing social and academic divisions. There is also a significant economic implication. Digital inclusion could be worth as much as £60bn to the EU economy over the next five years, according to the European Commission.

In the UK, 71 per cent of households have internet access and 53 per cent have broadband. But reaching the least well-off is disproportionately difficult.

The government’s plans are a step in the right direction but there is no easy answer, according to Association for Learning Technology (ALT) chief executive Seb Schmoller.

“Internet access in a developed economy must be a citizen’s entitlement, like getting a drink of mains water,” said Schmoller. “The challenge for the government is to bring it about.”

The main issue will concern connectivity.

“Remote areas are still out of reach of broadband, and connection costs remain stubbornly high,” said Schmoller.

“Poorer households often have no fixed line, nor the credit rating to obtain one, even if they can afford to pay.”

Alongside direct government subsidy, the competitive broadband market will target even the poorest homes, said Matt Yardley, principal consultant at telecoms researcher Analysys.

“If operators see an opportunity to tap unaddressed demand, perhaps through a lower cost offer with more constraints, they will go for it,” said Yardley.

“And those homes where people are avoiding line rental charges could well be targeted by mobile companies.”

Focusing on young people will also help, said Ovum analyst Mike Philpott.

“The number of broadband subscribers has grown rapidly, but the government recognises that the market will only drive uptake to a certain level,” he said.

“Getting kids online early means they will never go back, and they can also be used as an educational tool by teaching their parents.”

The 2008 ALT conference will discuss the digital divide in September.

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IT for schoolchildren

* The government has invested £5bn in schools IT since 1997

* Another £837m is budgeted over the next three years

* Some £30m is now available for home broadband access for schoolchildren

* Ubiquitous high-speed internet access could be worth £60bn to the EU economy over five years