New UK online report links digital inclusion and social impact
A new reserach report from UK online centres and Ipsos MORI shows learning about computers and the internet can help improve the lives of disadvantaged communities.
The news is likely to be of interest to the government, following Gordon Brown’s announcement at the Labour party Conference of plans to fund one million extra families to get online.
The probable link between digital and social inclusion has long been recognised – connecting people to technology connects them to new information and skills, to their communities, to each other, to services, savings and employment opportunities.
However, the Digital inclusion, social impact report represents the first effort to prove the link both qualitatively and quantitatively.
Read the report at the DC10plus website
EU Ethics and e-Inclusion – your chance to contribute.
DC10plus welcomes the EU Ethics and e-Inclusion report and would very much like to hear your views and comments via the blog in preparation for the EU Ministerial Conference taking place in Vienna on the 30 Nov - 2 Dec 2008.
This document provides an exploration of issues and of guidance for ethics and e-inclusion, resulting from a high-level workshop held under the Slovenian EU Presidency in Bled, Slovenia, on 12 May 2008 and organised by the European Commission DG Information Society ad Media, Unit ICT for Inclusion.
This document is part of a full process towards clarifying ethical considerations related to ICT for inclusion and is intended to stimulate public discussions and further work.
We look forward to hearing your views.
Review of Barriers to Investment in Next Generation Access- your chance to contribute
DC10plus welcomes this Review of Barriers to Investment in Next Generation Access- final report by Francesco Caio and would very much like to hear your views and comments in preparation for the upcoming Next Gen 08 conference taking place in Manchester on the 4th November where Francesco Caio will speak about the Independent review into Next Generation Broadband.
Ethnic minority groups continue to lead the way on digital take-up
Ethnic minority groups are at the forefront of digital communications in the UK, with high levels of mobile phone, internet and multichannel television take-up yet despite this, many people from ethnic minority groups lack confidence finding content online and are concerned about content delivered on digital communications, new research from Ofcom reveals.
The report, which has implications for how councils deliver electronic services to people, is part of Ofcom’s wider programme of research into media literacy in the UK- view the Media Literacy Audit here.
Last chance to participate in the European eInclusion Awards
Entries for the first ever European eInclusion Awards will close on September 12, 2008, Organisations have only a few days left to submit their entries demonstrating how they have used ICT to help address social and digital divides in Europe.
The awards are open to organisations in the public, business and voluntary sector or civil society. There are seven competition categories: Ageing Well; Marginalised Young People; Geographic Inclusion; Cultural Diversity; Digital Literacy; e-Accessibility and Inclusive Public Services.
For more information visit www.e-inclusionawards.eu
Third of UK homes still lack access to web
With the levels of broadband in UK homes increasing, new figures from ON’S reveal that more than a third of households are still without an internet connection.
According to the ONS’s 2008 Internet Access report, 65 percent of homes — some 16.46 million households — now have internet access: an increase of 1.23 million households since 2007 and while 35 percent of UK homes remain internet-less, the figure is down from 43 percent two years ago.
The statistics also show a digital refusenik attitude is growing among Britons, of those households that do not have internet access, a larger proportion of respondents said they do not need it or do not want it than two years ago. While other reasons for eschewing the web — such as access or equipment costs being too high — showed little or no increase.
There is also a clear link between a household’s level of education and whether it’s online, according to the ONS report. Individuals who have no formal qualifications are least likely to have internet connection in their home, at 56 percent now online, while adults under 70 with a university degree or equivalent qualification are most likely (93 percent).
The generation gap in web access persists too — adults aged over 65 are still the least likely to use the web, with 70 percent stating they have never done so. However, there’s evidence the gap is shrinking: that figure is down from 82 percent two years ago. Meanwhile, the 16 to 24 age group unsurprisingly used the web the most, with 77 percent using it every day or almost every day.
The ONS figures also reveal a growing north-south digital divide.
The Southeast is the most connected region, with 74 percent of households having net access in 2008, followed by London with 73 percent and then the East of England (70 percent). While the Northeast has the fewest internet-enabled households (54 percent), followed by the Northwest (56 percent), and the East Midlands and West Midlands (both with 61 percent).
The divide between North and South is getting bigger: back in 2006 there was a 12 percentage point gap between net connectivity in the Southeast and the Northeast. In 2008, that gap has risen to 20 percentage points.
View the report at:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/iahi0808.pdf
Next Generation Connectivity essential for innovation driven economise
The UK is tied with Finland in 5th in terms of innovation driven economise but could go downwards if investment in Next Generation Connectivity is not increased, says a recent report from the Connectivity Scorecard. The report says that,
”The UK is a good performer on the Scorecard, and while there is no one area that could be identified as a weakness for the UK, there are several areas where the UK could make additional progress.
One such area is broadband. The UK has tended to play catch-up in broadband, and has only recently achieved above-average penetration levels. However, there is little activity in the area of providing Fiber-to-the-Premises and other Next Generation technologies. This may be an area in which the UK begins to significantly lag the United States, Asian nations and even several European neighbors in the next couple of years. While not currently a part of the Scorecard, measures of NGN deployment will need to be included in coming years, and the UK might find its score revised downwards on this account.”
DC10 plus is at the forefront with our Connected Neighbourhood Forum partner in pushing the economic, social, environmental and service delivery case for UK investment in Next Generation Connectivity and agrees with much of what this report highlights.
To see the full report click here:,http://www.connectivityscorecard.org/images/uploads/media/Connectivity_Scorecard_UK_300408.pd
BBC iPlayer success exposes UK’s poor broadband speeds
Government operations and procurement to be more environmentally friendly.
Cabinet Office minister Tom Watson is taking responsibility for making government operations and procurement more environmentally friendly.
His remit will include IT, and he is likely to look for greater energy savings from technology, including wider use of IT management systems to help switch off PCs and printers when they are not in use.
To coincide with Watson’s new role, the Cabinet Office’s Centre of Expertise in Sustainable Procurement, based in the Office of Government Commerce, has published a plan which focuses on actions that have to be taken in order to meet government sustainability targets. These include mechanisms for saving energy used by computers.
Northern Ireland fund 1.9 Million to develop broadband services
The Northern Ireland Executive has unveiled a £1.9m fund to promote the extension of broadband services. Economy minister Arlene Foster has launched the £1.9 million Northern Ireland Broadband Fund, which aims to provide support to businesses undertaking technology trials related to the roll out of high speed broadband.
The fund, which is financed under the European Regional Development Fund Sustainable Competitiveness Programme 2007-2013, will have a particular focus on the delivery of broadband services into rural areas as the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment believes there is a need for more competition among suppliers in rural areas, and to increase average speeds.
view the full story at http://www.detini.gov.uk/cgi-bin/morenews?utilid=1288