6 Digital Exclusion
94. Digital Exclusion is the term used to describe
the experience of those socio-economic groups who, for whatever
reason, are unable to access the internet and the resources it
has to offer. This may be the result of poverty or computer illiteracy.
It also includes those individuals who do not want (or do not
know they want) access to the internet.[116]
To address these issues the Government has established two programmes,
the Home Access Programme and the Digital Inclusion Task Force.
95. The Digital Inclusion Task Force, chaired
by Martha Lane Fox, is the Government's initiative to increase
participation among those groups most likely to be "digitally
excluded". The Task Force has a budget of £12 million,
for a two-year period, and is focusing on the following activities:
- to support and challenge government,
industry and the third sector on programme development and delivery;
- to use Race Online 2012 to shine a light on partner
activities and provide an intelligent hub of information and resources;
and
- to join and leverage new and existing activities
to ensure 'face to face' support is available to all socially
and digitally excluded adults.[117]
96. A study commissioned by the Government's
Digital Inclusion Task Force summarised the current situation
in the following terms:
Overall, levels of digital exclusion have declined
steadily in recent years although a significant proportion of
the population remains digitally excluded. In 2009, 10.2 million
adults (21% of the UK population) had never accessed the internet
and a further 2.0 million had not used it for 3 months: 7.8 million
households (30% of those in the UK) had no internet connection
at home.[118]
97. Despite a steady decline in digital exclusion,
the issue is becoming one of increasing importance. Digital
Britain highlights the fact that it is the Government's intention
to deliver more public services online; that the best priced utilities,
services and goods now appear in internet-only offers; and that
there is an increased requirement for computer and internet literacy
when looking for employment.[119]
98. To date the most substantial report to come
out of the task force is a commissioned study from PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The key findings of that Report were:
- households without an internet
connection are missing out on savings of £560 per annum in
shopping and paying bills online;
- if the 1.6 million children whose families are
not online got a home internet connection it would increase their
lifetime earnings by around £1 billion;
- unemployed people could increase their chances
of finding a job if they had internet access;
- people with good computer skills earn 3% to 10%
more than those without; and
- each contact with the Government made online
as opposed to telephone or face to face could save between £3.30
to £12.00.[120]
99. The Report highlights the many potential
gains that can be made by having access to the Internet. It is
therefore unfortunate that the Government's proposals and initiatives
do not give sufficient weight to these benefits. While we support
the aims and objectives of the Task Force, its funding appears
insufficient. In approximate terms, it will spend £1 per
year on each of the four million people it has identified as being
within the most disadvantaged groups, while the 50 pence levy
would impose a charge of £6 per year on that same group.
100. We strongly support the
aims and objectives of the Digital Inclusion Task Force. However,
we are concerned that the drive towards NGA roll-out could be
at the expense of the Digital Inclusion agenda. The contrast between
the method and funding of NGA and the sums available to address
the problems of digital exclusion only serves to highlight this
concern. The digital inclusion task force will spend £1 per
year on each of the four million people it has identified as being
within the most disadvantaged groups, while the 50 pence levy
will impose a charge of £6 per year on that same group. The
levy will last until at least 2017 but the task force will finish
its work in 2012.
101. We recommend that greater
attention and resources be given to digital inclusion given the
proven social and economic benefits to the individual and the
cost saving benefits to the Government. We believe that digital
inclusion should take priority over Next Generation Access at
a time of great stringency in public expenditure.
The Home Access Programme
102. In February 2009, the Government began
a pilot scheme across Oldham and Suffolk local authorities which
targeted families with children who were unable to afford home
access to the internet. A grant is available for those eligible
to buy a computer, and get internet access as well as service
support.[121] Digital
Britain declared the pilot scheme a success and explained
that the programme would be rolled-out in Autumn 2009.[122]
According to Digital Britain, the national roll-out would
help "promote the benefits of home access to families and
give direct financial support to around 330,000 of the most disadvantaged
learners whose families meet the eligibility criteria".[123]
103. The programme was recently given favourable
coverage in the press:
The Home Access scheme is designed to encourage low-income
families with children at key stages 2 and 3 to apply for a one-off,
£500 grant to pay for a computer and a 12-month subscription
to the internet. If the family receives free school meals they
can apply for a single-use debit card loaded with £500 worth
of credit. Families then have a choice of retailers—including
Comet and Curry's—to buy from. [The scheme] hopes to give
out 270,000 grants and reach as many as half a million children.
Results from the pilots are promising: more than 9,000 families
participated, which was nearly 90% of the target group.[124]
104. The programme has a budget of £300
million. These funds will remove significant barriers of the one-time
cost of purchasing a computer and subscription, for a twelve month
period, to a broadband service. We
congratulate the Government on the Home Access Programme which
we believe shows early signs of success. We therefore welcome
its extension as a national programme. We recommend that the programme
be used to educate and inform the whole household on the benefits
of internet use and computer literacy. Furthermore, we call for
early research on the effectiveness of its roll-out to ensure
that its early promise is maintained. This is the sort of intervention
the Government is well placed to make in support of the objectives
of both Universal Service Commitment and the Digital Inclusion
Task Force.
116 Department for Business, Innovation and Skill,
Digital Britain, June 2009, p30 Back
117
www.raceonline2012.org, December 2009 Back
118
PricewaterhouseCoopers, Champion for Digital Inclusion, the
Economic case for Digital Inclusion, October 2009, p 3 Back
119
Department for Business, Innovation and Skill, Digital Britain,
June 2009, p30-33 Back
120
Price Waterhouse Cooper, Champion for Digital Inclusion, the
Economic case for Digital Inclusion, October 2009, p 2 Back
121
www.homeaccess.org.uk Back
122
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Digital Britain,
June 2009, p 177 Back
123
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Digital Britain,
June 2009, p 177 Back
124
"Home access - funding scheme brings equality online",
The Guardian, 8 December 2009 Back
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