Over the past 10 years great efforts have been made in getting Britain online and closing what’s been called the “digital divide”. These days the majority of households have access to broadband but there’s still a stubbornly large minority – around 30% – who have remained offline.
Ofcom has just released some research on those “off net” ahead of the Digital Britain report, expected next week, which will develop the idea of universal broadband in the UK.
The research contains some interesting findings, notably that one in five adults who don’t have the internet at home are likely to sign up in the next six months. It also divides the 30% of people without the internet into two main groups – the self-excluded, who have no interest in it or don’t think they need it, and the financially excluded, who simply can’t afford it.
At TalkTalk we’ve been enthusiastic about getting Britain online for some time. In fact, it was one of the driving principles behind our launch of free broadband in 2006, which sought to make it affordable to all. And we have an ongoing commitment to offering the best value broadband on the market.
We’re also a key supporter of Get Online Day, run by the excellent folk at UK Online Centres, which aims to get those who are less confident about using modern technology to try the internet for themselves.
And we run our own Innovation in the Community Awards, which reward small charities and non-for-profit groups for the technology projects they run to benefit digitally excluded groups in their local communities.
We believe passionately in the value of broadband as one of the essential communication tools of the 21st century and we’ll continue to play our part in encouraging as many people as possible to get online.
But what do you think? Will the number of “self-excluded” people decline over time as broadband becomes ever more central to our jobs and home life? Or do we need to do more – both at a business and a government level – to ensure everyone can get online, regardless of income?
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cyberdoyle
Anonymous