National Plan for Digital Participation
Today is the launch of the National Plan for Digital Participation (PDF, 665 KB). The Plan intends to get 60% of those people not online, online by March 2014 – this equates to 7.5 million people (of the 12.5 million not online) being connected for the first time over the next four years – or, another way to understand this number is that over 5,000 people must go online for the very first time every day for the next four years.
Flickr images from the launch of the plan at the Open Age community centre, West London
However, the Plan is not about numbers but about people. The shared vision for Digital Participation is for everyone who wants to be online to get online, do more online and benefit from the advantages of being online. The depth and breadth of people’s digital skills are just as important as being connected. Doing more online such as creating content, undertaking transactions or understanding how to avoid phishing scams or how trustworthy content is, is just as important to create a strong digitally literate society.
But, it is not just about money. The Plan is a real opportunity to harness the combined power of industry, the third sector and Government. This is reflected by the work of the Consortium for Digital Participation, which has over 60 members drawn from these sectors. And it will be the aggregation of all our work and resources in support of the National Plan that will help us all to deliver the Plans ambition.
The Consortium, for example, is planning a social marketing programme in the summer. It will be by using members’ combined marketing channels, communications resources and techniques to bring about public behaviour change and promote the benefits of being online that will make a difference. It is also piloting a targeted outreach programme to encourage digital inclusion and improve digital skills. The pilot is using Digital Switchover in Granada and the grassroot outreach network as a focal point for other organisations to help align their resources
The work of the Consortium can be found at: www.digitalparticipation.com.
Podcast: Digital Britain Minister Stephen Timms and UK Online Centres’ Helen Milner (MP3) talk about the benefits of getting online. Open Age computer user Martin Nolan also talks about his reasons for learning to use the computer and surf the internet – from creating invoices to communicating with his three children.
If people want to be online then they will be if they have connectivity. The reason they aren’t is because connections in half of digitalbritain are crap. just sayin…
… the ones missing out of this grand plan are the millions who can’t get a decent connection, or even a connection at all.
That is what you should be addressing, until the pipes can cope with the demand there is no point in pushing free computers, websites and lessons at joe public. The obsolete infrastructure is already creaking. It only survives because of throttling, capping and traffic management. If you want digital participation to become a reality then you have to get connectivity to the people. This means fibre to the home. Motorways not cycle tracks. Even mobile tightropes don’t work out here in the sticks.
chris
I currently use a HSPA mobile modem
This was impossible at my previous address (at the bottom of a quarry behind a mountain)
The BT line was that rubbish it could not keep a connection going
This was obviously a problem with the junction box, as the surrounding area didn’t appear to have the same problem
BT flatly refused to replace the junction box
Hi Leon
you are not alone. Near my house are hundreds of others who can’t get a connection. Off one pole alone there are 27 SMEs and families who can’t get any broadband, with many more dotted around. 55 more houses just over the hill can’t get adsl, mobile or satellite due to south facing hills. Digital britain is being held to ransom by the copper cabal and a half witted government who don’t believe the people and choose to believe the telcos and quangos. Throwing money into inclusion is not the answer. The infrastructure is b0rked. Plain and simple.
chris