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Minister required to bridge the digital divide?
- 28 Nov 06, 02:22 PM
called for the Prime Minister to to ensure that everyone has access to computers and the internet.
Wyatt said that 2007 was 鈥渕ake or break for the internet for many people鈥 and that whilst 60% of the population now own computers and have broadband, this also means that 40% do not. He felt there was a real danger that those 40% would be missing out on government services, educational resources and the offers available from e-commerce websites.
David Livermore, chairman of , added that the numbers of people with disabilities who owned computers and who had online access were likely to be far less than seen in the population as a whole.
There has been some conversation in the office about this, and one view expressed was that this is not universally true of all disability groups. With computers and the internet being of such value in opening up horizons many disabled people are happy to invest in it.
I think that鈥檚 a fair point, but it is applicable to those already converted to the digital world. Buying a computer, assistive technology and broadband can still be prohibitive if you aren鈥檛 in employment or getting help with costs.
A recent , a leading (if not the leading) usability guru, covered similar ground. In Nielsen鈥檚 column, he is confident that the falling prices of both computers and broadband will naturally eradicate this problem over the next five years. Five years, though, remains a long time, and perhaps says something of the difference in perspective between an analyst and a politician 鈥 a week is a long time in politics, after all.
But do we need a minister for digital inclusion? As a politician might say, I鈥檓 yet to be convinced of the argument. Digital inclusion already falls under the remit of The Department for Work and Pensions.
Still, if you think we should have a minister, why not to lobby for one?
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Where I live (Lincoln, UK) there is free access to the internet at the library and there are various other places around town where you can get online if you want to.
And of all of my friends and family, many of them don't have a computer or broadband at home. Mostly because they don't want it. Just because some of us cannot live without the internet, that doesn't mean that everyone else is the same. Although, many of these people do have access to the internet at work if they need it.
However, I do agree that not having access to the internet, whether you have a disability or not, could well be a hinderance in the coming years, with many companies moving services online to cut costs and manpower requirements.
It would be interesting to see what happens if a minister is appointed.
Minimum accessibility requirements?
Governing bodies?
Free internet for some?
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