Tuesday, December 28 1999
INTERNET: Move to tackle social exclusion
Government plans to put tower block tenants online
By Jim Kelly,
Education Correspondent
One of the country's deprived inner-city tower blocks is set to be "hot-wired" to the Internet as the government tries to find ways to bridge the growing "digital divide" between the rich and the poor.
Talks are under way between government officials, led by the Department of Education and Employment, and leading software and hardware providers to form a partnership that would install computers in the homes of 2,000-3,000 people.
"This allows the disadvantaged to compete with private estates"
The project would be monitored to assess the impact of Internet access on alleviating social exclusion from education and employment, and monitor the benefits of the World Wide Web such as e-mail, online shopping and cheaper holidays.
The "pioneer" community has yet to be chosen. But several locations, including whole estates, are being examined in the country's 1,000 most deprived inner city areas, including in London, Liverpool and Manchester.
"The Internet is the great leveler, said a government official. Private estates are being wired for the 21st century. This allows the disadvantaged to compete." The cost of the project's installation and cabling would be covered by the government.
Ministers are keen to spread the benefits of the Internet. "In the new knowledge economy no-one should be left out," said Gordon Brown, the chancellor, in his pre-Budget statement last month.
As well as providing access to interactive learning materials, schools, teachers, the University for Industry and the National Grid for Learning, the plan envisages establishing a community grid".
"If the heating system fails, or the lifts don't work, then residents would have immediate access to engineers and maintenance staff online," said the official.
Ministers are also keen to see the impact of the system on employment. A local jobs service could be provided with transport details for the journey to work. Residents could also get an assessment of the impact on tax and benefits if they took the job.
The project is in the preliminary stages of planning, and funding has yet to be agreed. But ministers are determined to test the Internet's impact on social exclusion, and the pioneer community could be ready to go online in 2000