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Manifesto for a networked nation
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Building a networked nation
What Can We Build On?

The Summary

More than 1000 organisations have already joined Race Online 2012 and pledged to support over 1.9 million new people get online over the next few years.

Their commitments rest on years of activity and research – there are:

  • campaign days
  • learning toolkits
  • ever-increasing numbers of free or cheap public access-points,
  • upswings in home access,
  • and good and growing broadband reach and speeds.

Be inspired by their promises which can be viewed here

If we join up all this work a bit more, and exploit these assets we can achieve much greater scale and pace of social change.

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The Detail

WHAT CAN WE BUILD ON?

In April, we launched Race Online 2012 — a partnership campaign to get as many people online as possible in the next two years. More than 400 industry and public-sector partners have made pledges to help over 1.6 million new people online over the next few years. We can do more.

 

  • There are a number of existing campaigns, such as Silver Surfers Day and Get Online Week, which are useful events around which to bring partners together. They provide a good foundation from which to achieve much greater scale.
  • We have good community ICT infrastructure in our schools, libraries, and in UK online centres — which recently received an additional investment of £30m to help an extra one million people to get online by 2013. Toolkits have also been created to support local community champions via programmes such as Everybody Online.
  • There are other community facilities such as GP surgeries, Post Offices and Citizens Advice Bureaux that may also play a part in supporting those without access to the internet at home.
  • Around 90% of homes can readily get a broadband connection at 2Mbps (or higher) and the Government supports the commitment to ensure a universal service level of 2Mbps as the very minimum that should be available.
  • Broadband prices are falling, with average monthly charges for broadband via a copper phone line being £13.61 (excluding VAT) in 2009 compared to £23.30 in the last quarter of 2005. UK prices are now among the lowest in the world.

 

Community-based web access and informal training leads to home access for many people as they improve their understanding of the real costs and benefits of being online. 41% of those completing a basic IT course at a UK online centre go on to purchase their own computer and broadband connection.

In recognition of the importance of home internet access to young learners, the Government is providing financial support for devices and broadband connections for more than 250,000 low-income families with school-age children.

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We are looking for partners from all sectors -  industry, charity and government - to help us achieve our goal of getting as many of the 10 Million people in the UK that don't have access to the internet online by the end of the 2012 Olympic year. Please join us now and make your promise: