Access and Equality Issues

Introduction

There is little doubt that the Internet has allowed access to information on an unprecedented scale. Vast quantities of free and previously uncollated material is available, with the minimum of effort, to anyone with Internet access, regardless of their location. The Internet allows users to become their own librarians, able to research, study, and investigate anything. The Internet facilitates the exchange of information and the pooling of resources around the world.

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Removing Barriers

The anonymity of the Internet has helped to remove barriers of inequality that are sometimes created by race, gender, age and physical deformity. It also offers equality of access to the housebound and disabled. With the appropriate equipment it is even possible for blind people to have the same access as a sighted person. However, the removing of these barriers has created new barriers, mainly in the areas of cost, age and education.

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Creating New Barriers

Before even considering the costs involved in using the Internet there are major capital costs involved in purchasing a computer and the relevant hardware. Even in these days of tumbling prices, the cost of an entry- level computer, between £500 and £800, precludes many people. This situation is increased for people who require additional hardware because of disability.

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Inequality Issues

While this is a problem that is often addressed for children or young adults there is very little help available for older people, such as the mature student. This situation applies equally to educating people to use the Internet. The UK Government is pouring millions into a programme to ensure that all schools, have the required equipment and will be ‘online’ by the year 2002. Many charities, local authorities and private companies ‘donate’ equipment to young, often male, disabled people. Aberdeenshire Council, for example, has a policy of donating computers in no longer requires to local schools, nurseries and young adults with learning difficulties or mobility problems. A recent suggestion that this policy could be expanded to include old people’s homes and housebound pensioners was not taken seriously. Free education in the use of the Internet is usually directed at the ‘younger generation’. I believe this inequality issue has arisen because of the inherent belief that the Internet is the preserve of the young.

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Addressing the Problem

There are several organisations, however, that are attempting to redress this misconception. The BBC has introduced its Webwise scheme, which is aimed at educating adults in use of the Internet. LEAD Scotland is a voluntary organisation who offers Internet access, training and equipment to housebound adults. The Open University offers subsidised computer hire to a restricted number of its students.

ISPs and Charges

Even when the necessary hardware is available there are still ongoing costs involved in accessing the Internet, namely an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and telephone connection charges, for time spent online. ISP’s traditionally charged for their services but there are now so many free services that this has ceased to be an issue as regards access and inequality. Most ISP connections in the UK are based on local rate charges, which currently range from 3p per minute peak time to 1p a minute at the weekend (BT). These charges can very quickly mount up while ‘surfing the net’. These current connection charges would restrict people’s access to the Internet in line with their disposable income.

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Decreasing Connection Charges

This is another area, however, where the situation is changing. Since X-Stream and Freeserve so successfully introduced their free ISP facilities, others companies began to follow suit and look for ways to make their services more competitive. Some ISPs, like Screaming Net, now offer their customers free connection charges to the Internet during evenings and weekends and other companies, such as BT, are offering fixed rate packages to cur costs to the user. BskyB and ON Digital have both introduced digital broadcasting packages which include a free black box, that allows access to the Internet, and free connection charges. It is conceivable, following these developments, that in the very near future, connection charges will disappear or at least become drastically reduced, allowing a greater equality of access.

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OFTEL and the Future

The Government have stated their commitment to enabling Internet Access for all and OFTEL is in the process of changing the face of telecommunications in the UK. OFTEL is taking steps to unbundle the local loop, currently controlled by BT. This will allow equality of access to other telecoms companies and will probably lead to flat rate Internet access and wide band ADSL connections. More information can be found at the OFTEL site.