UK government failing to provide Web access for all

It's several years since former Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged to achieve "universal Internet access for all who want it" in the UK. But the latest statistics from telecoms regulator Ofcom paint a picture of a growing digital divide based on the much less idealistic lines of income and ethnicity.

UK residents on lower incomes are far less likely to have Internet access, according to an Ofcom response to a parliamentary question on Internet access tabled earlier this year by Liberal Democrat MP Danny Alexander.

Alexander asked the government to estimate the number of UK households without Web access broken down by income, ethnicity and region. The MP also asked for information about the number of households containing children without access to the Web.

In Ofcom's reply to Alexander, seen by CNET.co.uk's sister site silicon.com, the regulator states 35 per cent of UK homes do not have Internet access (based on the latest available data, from 2007). But those on lower incomes -- and people from ethnic minority groups -- are far more likely to be on the wrong side of this digital divide.

Of those without Internet access, well over half (69 per cent) of households in the lowest earning bracket -- of less than £11,500 a year -- are without Internet access. Web access for homes with an annual income of between £11,500 and £17,500 is also disproportionately high: almost half (45 per cent) of households in this earning bracket are not online.

But the picture is very different for higher income households, with just 10 per cent of homes with an annual income in excess of £30,000 going without the Web.

Ethnic minorities are also more likely to be disengaged from the online world -- close to half (42 per cent) of minority ethnic groups do not have Internet access, according to the Ofcom data.

Interestingly, UK households with children are more likely to have Internet access than childless homes -- less than a third (24 per cent) of homes with kids are without the Web. This does not hold true for ethnic minority groups, however: 42 per cent of ethnic minority households with children also have no Web access, according to the data.

A 2002 government report on progress towards Blair's universal Internet access by 2005 target, notes: "At present, 45 per cent of UK households are online and 47 per cent of UK adults are regular internet users. However, take-up amongst the most disadvantaged groups in society -- those on low incomes, the elderly and people with disabilities -- is lower."

The Ofcom data suggests that despite its pledge the government has failed to ensure disadvantaged groups and minorities are not getting left behind in the race to get the UK online.

Alexander told silicon.com: "At a time when an increasing number of welfare services are being administered online it is clearly essential that those who rely most on the welfare state can access the Internet.

"Unfortunately, these statistics show that huge numbers of people on low incomes do not have Internet access, despite Tony Blair's pledge seven years ago to tackle the digital divide. This means that vulnerable people are, in many cases, being denied access to the vital services they are entitled to. Sadly, this is just one more example of Labour failing the poorest members of society."

The Ofcom data also shows access to the Internet is fairly uniform across the different regions of the UK, although England is the most wired part of Blighty, and Northern Ireland the least.

Thirty-eight per cent of England's residents do not have Internet access. This compares to 44 per cent of those in Northern Ireland, 43 per cent in Scotland and 41 per cent in Wales.