What the budget means for Digital Britain April 23, 2009
Posted by Rich Spragg in Digital Divide, Digital Inclusion, Digital Inclusion & Enterprise Programme, GMDDA, Internet.Tags: Digital Britain Report
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Yearterday’s Budget confirms Government plans to deliver a Universal Service in broadband at 2 megabits per second by 2012. The Government will also consult with the BBC Trust on how the emerging under-spend from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme can be drawn on to fund roll-out and take-up.
Budget ‘09 also underlines the Government’s commitment to helping business take full advantage of the opportunities offered in the creative industries by announcing a review of Ofcom’s powers and duties to ensure it can strike the right balance between supporting competition and encouraging investment.
Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson said:
“I often stress the need for bridges to our economic future – this is one of the most important. And I believe there’s a clear, strategic role for government to help make it a reality.”
“We need to make sure that transformational technologies like broadband are genuinely available to virtually everyone. And we need government action to help drive that change and ensure UK firms have the capacity to compete for the economic opportunities it brings.”
Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting, Stephen Carter said:
“The UK economy needs a digital infrastructure and it needs higher levels of connectivity and greater levels of participation.
He added:
“The Digital Britain commitments in today’s Budget will establish a 2mbps Universal Service as a baseline for both Next Generation Networks and for the next generation delivery of public services.”
At 2mbps, internet users are guaranteed a quality of broadband capable of offering a wide range of applications, including the majority of public services and video-rich content such as the BBC iPlayer.
Providing Universal Service in broadband and promoting take-up will help boost learning and skills development and drive innovation within the creative industries. No country in the world is currently offering a Universal Service in broadband at a speed this high.
The Government has consulted a design group made up of network experts on the best and most cost -effective ways of delivering a universal service via a range of solutions, including wired and mobile networks. Their conclusions, which will inform the detailed scheme design to be published in the Digital Britain Final report, suggest that for at least some groups of currently underserved users a leap-frog to next generation superfast broadband may be the most economical solution.
Second Get online day nets 12,000 January 21, 2009
Posted by Rich Spragg in Digital Divide, Digital Inclusion, Education, Events, GMDDA, Internet, News, Skills, Technology, Training, UK Online Centres.Tags: Get Online Day
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Around 12,000 people made the second national Get online day their excuse to get onto the internet and try something new online. Get online day, which is run by UK online centres, took place at the end of October as part of Family Learning Festival and targeted the one in three adults in the country who still don’t use computers and the internet.
There were more than 500 events running at UK online centres up and down England, offering techno-phobe parents, grandparents, and carers – and even aunts and uncles – the chance to find out how getting online could help them and the rest of the family in everyday life. Whether it was a very first taste of the internet, a first email or a first online shopping trip, families of all shapes and sizes took up the Get online day challenge.
UK online centres have just completed a survey which questioned both participating centres and visitors who came through the doors on the day. Nearly everyone who went along to an event – 96% – enjoyed the day, with a full 99% determined to keep on using the internet in the future. At UK online centres, 84% of event-holders said the Get online day campaign had helped them attract new customers, and 97% said they’d be signing up for a Get online day mark III.
Get online day 2008 was backed by a whole host of sponsors – Campaign for Learning, Becta, the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills, Directgov, Ofcom and TalkTalk. All wanted to see more people take advantage of all the benefits the internet can provide.
Helen Milner, Managing Director of UK online centres, explains: “The fact that a third of the population still don’t, won’t or can’t use computers and the internet might seem incredible to some, but with technology moving so fast it’s actually easy for anyone to get left behind. This year’s campaign was all about trying something new online, and I’m delighted that so many people challenged themselves and their families by doing just that.”
One Get online day visitor now enjoying his new computer skills is 85 year-old Robert Booth, who went along to an event at Benchill Community Centre in Greater Manchester. He was given a computer by his son, but decided he needed a bit of help getting to grips with it all. Get online day came along at just the right time.
He says: “I knew that I needed to get the best instructions on how to use a computer properly. Get online day seemed like the perfect introduction! I went along and it was all very welcoming. I met Steve, the tutor, who was very supportive and incredibly patient, and to my surprise I actually found it all very easy.”
Robert was so impressed, he decided to attend regular courses to learn more about how the internet could help him keep in touch with his son, three grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
“I was beginning to think I was falling behind with modern technology,” he admits. “Even my four-year-old great-granddaughter Sophie knew more than I did! Now I’ve worked out how to email, and I’ve also got a Skype unit which is just amazing – you can see the people you’re talking to on your computer screen, wherever they are in the world. It’s fantastic that I can talk to my family about computers and the internet and understand what they’re talking about instead of just looking at them blankly. But primarily, it’s keeping my mind lively. You’re never too old to learn, and I’d encourage everybody to get involved.”
Helen concludes: “While visitors like Robert were busy proving there’s a first time for everything, this was actually our second Get online day. The campaign included incredible support from BBC presenters Jeremy Vine, Johnny Ball and Maggie Philbin, who helped spread the Get online day message, and were backed by the hard work of UK online centres going out into their communities and driving footfall to local events. Marketing the internet to the digitally disengaged isn’t an easy task, but helping families make the most of technology is certainly a worthwhile one. Getting online really can help people connect with each other, with their communities, with new opportunities and key – and that’s what Get online day was all about.”
[Original news story: http://www.ukonlinecentres.com/corporate/content/view/212/130/lang,en/]
For more information please contact Abi Stevens at astevens@ufi.com
Paul Murphy unveils new role of Digital Champion October 28, 2008
Posted by Rich Spragg in DC10+, DIEP, Digital Divide, Digital Inclusion, Digital Inclusion & Enterprise Programme, GMDDA, Local Authorities, News, UK Online Centres.Tags: Baroness Andrews, Delivering Digital Inclusion: An Action Plan for Consul, Digital Champion, Digital Inclusion Action Plan, Lord Carter, Paul Murphy MP
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Paul Murphy MP
A new high-profile Digital Champion will help promote the Government’s Digital Inclusion agenda, was announced by the Minister for Digital Inclusion Paul Murphy on Friday, 24 October 2008.
The creation of an independent Digital Champion is one of the key proposals to achieve greater digital inclusion included within the new cross-Government report ‘Delivering Digital Inclusion: An Action Plan for Consultation‘, published today.
Around 17 million people in the UK today are excluded from the digital revolution, with no access or experience of the Internet and other digital technologies.
Launching the Action Plan at Holborn Library’s UK Online Centre as part of the National Get online Day, Paul Murphy said:
“Technology and the Internet are now woven into the fabric of our society. However, we cannot ignore the fact that those who are socially excluded are much less likely to have access to and benefit from technology.
“Digital inclusion aims to create a fair society and bring social and economic benefits to individuals, communities and the economy as a whole. It is the links between social and technological disadvantage that makes digital inclusion a priority today.
“The post of Digital Champion will be independent of Government, but will work closely with myself as Minister for Digital Inclusion, the Cabinet Committee and the cross-Government Digital Inclusion Team. The Champion will work as a high-profile public figure who can raise the profile of this agenda, gaining support from industry, the third and public sectors, plus central and local government, whilst maintaining their independence.
“The exact role and responsibilities of the Champion are not yet agreed, that is why we are asking people to respond to this consultation to help us shape our plans for the future. We are eager to hear people’s views on how this new post can work most effectively, and indeed to suggest individuals or organisations to fulfil this role.”
The Digital Champion is just one of more than 70 Government actions listed in the Plan aiming to advance the Government’s Digital Inclusion agenda. Those actions include last week’s announcement by Lord Carter of the work on Digital Britain to secure the UK’s status as a world leader in the knowledge and learning economy.
Paul Murphy said:
“This Action Plan shows that the Government is taking the lead. We want to bring people together from industry and the voluntary sectors, as well as from across Government, so that we can work together and make more impact with the money we’re spending. This Action Plan is an important step to achieve greater co-ordination and co-operation on this important agenda.
“And we are already taking action. You will know that the Department for Children, Schools and Families recently announced its Home Access programme. A fundamental part of the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, the home access programme will target those one million children in England who currently do not have access to a computer or internet connectivity at home, starting with pilots in Oldham and Suffolk.
“But the Action Plan isn’t just about what we’re doing at Whitehall level – it also recognises the good work that local authorities and others are already doing across the country, and we want to support that further.
“By all working together, we can make a difference to our 17 million citizens currently excluded from the digital world.”
To support the Action Plan, Communities and Local Government will be publishing new research and resources to help councils and communities deliver digital inclusion initiatives on the ground as well as moving forward with their plans for the Digital Mentors scheme, laid out in the Empowerment White Paper. This group of people will work to support and empower communities, in the UK’s most deprived areas, enabling them to engage with digital technology and media.
Communities Minister Baroness Andrews said:
“The research we have released today very clearly demonstrates access to technology can improve quality of life and opens up new opportunities. We want to ensure that all communities – including the most disadvantaged – can benefit by going digital. The Government’s action plan is an important step, as well as new resources for councils and communities. I look forward to hearing the feedback this consultation produces and to seeing the development of even more inspiring and innovative programmes for digital inclusion.”
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Notes:
- Delivering Digital Inclusion: An Action Plan for Consultation is available at http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/deliveringdigitalinclusion.
- Digital Inclusion Minister Paul Murphy launched the Action Plan at Holborn Library UK online centre as part of the National Get online Day.
- To support the plan, Communities and Local Government is running a programme to increase local authorities’ ability to use technology to provide innovative and successful services; key to helping more people overcome problems, gain self confidence and achieve the ability to fully enjoy, take part in and contribute towards society. Communities and Local Government’s programme (Digital Inclusion Capacity Building Programme) has been developed in consultation with stakeholders, including public, private and third sectors. New resources are being launched today and can be found at http://www.communities.gov.uk/communities/digitalinclusion.
- Government has taken steps to improve digital inclusion in the last three years. For example, the Department for Children, Schools and Families introduced the Computers for Pupils programme; through UKOnline centres they have rolled out the myGuide service for the digitally excluded. And the winner of 2007’s Digital Challenge competition, Sunderland City Council, and the nine runners up are continuing to develop good practice for other local authorities so that they can help their communities, particularly the most deprived, to benefit from new technologies.
- Calls for Interest: Developing a National Network of ‘Digital Mentors’: Following the commitment in Communities in Control: Real People, Real Power, Communities and Local Government is inviting formal expressions of interest from organisations willing to work with us and each other to develop the network of ‘Digital Mentors’ in deprived communities in England. For more information visit Digital Mentors.
- For further details on Action Plan contact Andrew Mathias on 0207 270 0565 or 07973 303984.
- For further details about Communities and Local Government initiatives contact their press office on 0207 944 3042.
Gordon Brown launches Digital Britain Report October 17, 2008
Posted by Rich Spragg in Broadband, Digital Divide, Digital Inclusion, GMDDA, Internet, News.Tags: DBR, Digital Britain Report, Gordan Brown
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[From Digital Britain is a necessity by Gordon Brown,
The Times 17th October 2008]
“During the global economic crisis, the attention of governments around the world is quite rightly focused on the financial sector. In the UK, we continue to do whatever is necessary to support our economy during testing times. But at the same time we need to ensure we have the right policies to equip the country with the physical and virtual networks to be innovative, prosperous and productive in the future.
Digital communications networks represent a crucial component of modern Britain’s infrastructure. Digital networks will be to the 21st century what the electricity grid was to the last. Convergence — the coming together of different means of delivering communications — is becoming a reality. Today, we are launching work on The Digital Britain Report, which will provide a converged strategy for a converged future.
Today, the ICT and broadcast sectors in their own right account for nearly 6 per cent of our GDP, £52 billion of turnover and over 500,000 jobs. More than that, they touch every part of the economy, enable every business and enhance the lives of everyone in Britain.
Digital communications are vital to business success and competitiveness, and enrich the social, cultural and educational landscape. Access to digital communications is an increasingly important driver of social mobility and inclusion. Availability of information, and the ability to interact with vast communities of people regardless of location, open up opportunities like never before.
The Open University, founded by Harold Wilson’s Government in 1969, was established in the belief that the “white heat of technology” could open up campus-quality learning to those unable to attend university. As the OU approaches its 40th anniversary, technology is moving us closer to a country connected as one by open, high-speed access to information, learning and entertainment in a way unimaginable 40 years ago.
As these benefits become widespread, it is important that we do not leave people behind. Today, 42 per cent of homes still do not have broadband access. This can have serious implications: OECD tests show that students with one computer at home perform significantly better than those without. More than 90 per cent of jobs now require ICT skills. And families able to e-retail could save nearly £300 per year.
We are already taking steps to address the danger of a gap. We will shortly be bringing forward a Digital Inclusion Action Plan, and we recently announced £300 million of funding to ensure all school-age children have access to the internet.
As a government, we are proud of the success story so far. Our policy to foster a climate for investment, innovation, competition and quality has today delivered choice and value to viewers, listeners, and users. But things are changing fast and we need to keep up.
Five years after the Communications Act 2003 set a world standard in creating a converged regulator (Ofcom), we are seeing yet more innovation as networks converge and the services people enjoy and businesses depend on — video, audio, music, news, interaction — are each delivered by many means, rather than one.
The Digital Britain Report (DBR) will be published in spring, setting out our strategy for harnessing this change. A team led by the Communications, Technology and Broadcasting Minister, Stephen Carter, will study what the current arrangements are delivering, identify where further action is needed and make recommendations for action across a wide range of policy areas. We will be working closely with the companies investing in digital communications, and those who use them and we will be focused on the twin goals of quality and economic success.
The objectives the DBR will look to deliver are open markets; empowered and informed consumers and citizens; universal access to high-quality content, a responsive, up-to-date regulatory framework and, importantly, a world-leading position for the UK in this critical sector.
At this time when the economic wellbeing of the country is under so much scrutiny, a plan for Digital Britain is something we cannot do without.”
Get Online Day 2008 September 30, 2008
Posted by Rich Spragg in Community Development, DC10+, DC10plus, Digital Divide, Digital Inclusion, Education, Events, GMDDA, Internet, News, UK Online Centres, e-Skills.Tags: Campaign for Learning, Family Learning Festival, Get Online Day
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The second annual Get online day is taking place this year on 24 October 2008. Part of Campaign for Learning’s Family Learning Festival, it’s another chance for families to log on and learn more about the world wide web.
One in three adults in the UK still aren’t online, and this includes an estimated 25% of parents. Not being online means those families aren’t taking advantage of the information and benefits the internet has brought to the rest of the population. And it’s disadvantaged or poorer families who are most likely to be missing out.
The digital divide between the ‘haves’ and ‘have not’ of ICT is bigger than ever, and has an impact not just on the individual but on families, the economic and social health of communities, on political processes and public services. It’s time everyone had the skills, access and motivation to make digital choices and take digital opportunities.
By targeting families, the idea is that the digital natives in a family – often the children – will get the digitally divided involved. It’s a chance for families to share their ICT and internet skills, spend time together and learn how the internet could keep on helping in everyday family life.
To find out more information about Get online day – its partners, supporters and some of the activities taking place – please visit the Get online day website: http://www.getonlineday.com/
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