Internet For All in Europe

evileyetmc writes "It seems that the EU has taken the next big step in promoting the concept of Internet for All, by attempting to 'ensure that the most Web-disadvantaged groups can get online.'" From the article: "The EC has now pledged to increase broadband coverage across the continent to 90 percent by 2010. Rural areas are still underserved, according to the Commission, with about 60 percent penetration. Urban areas fare better and are already at the 90 percent mark. The EC has also committed to putting new measures in place to halve exclusion rates in skills and digital literacy by 2010. "

Comments

Re:I wonder how history will judge us

[RobotRunAmok]

in the US, the Internet will be a place for businesses that can pay the carrier cartels. In Europe, the Internet will be a place (more like what we in the US have today) where ideas are exchanged freely.

The U.S. will resemble Manhattan. The EU will resemble Woodstock. As I live midway between these two places and frequent them both, I can tell you that each are interesting -- nay, captivating -- in their own way. Neither place is "better;" each has its fanatical supporters and detractors. I fall in love with, and am infuriated by, both on a regular basis.

The questions "Where Would You Prefer to Live?" and "Where Would You Prefer to Work?," as relates to these two cultural paradigms, are the fundamental queries here.

This is probably a step in a wider plan....

[Marsmensch]

Several european countries (with the scandinavians pretty far in the lead) are moving as many government services as possible online in order to save on paperwork and other costs. However, especially in Denmark, they observed that this leads to the problem of the elderly and other subgroups not having proper access to those services, or the adequate ability to use the tools necessary to interact with public services.

This is increasingly going to be an issue in countries where you can't, for instance, pay your taxes without online, and universal access, if it proves cheaper than the amount saved by streamlining other services, is clearly the way to go.

Re:Internet shouldn't be for all

[Anonymous Coward]

poor == financially irresponsible? /me kicks zweeedelhimer's (whatever) ass

Re:The question is, what KIND of internet?

[BobVH]

In Belgium, this basically comes down to a "cheap" computer (think dell-like with flat screens) with windows xp on, and I believe a one year subscription to broadband internet with some anti-virus plan.

I wish they had thought this over better because a simple computer with ubuntu on it would be much better in terms of userfriendlyness and security. Now they know that in a few months these computers will be filled with spyware because granny didn't buy a firewall.

Further more, these will miss the point completely I think, these computers will be bought by people who need an extra computer for the kids or so. These will not close the gap between poor and rich.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on any of the points above.

Re:I wonder how history will judge us

[masklinn]

But TFA didn't say that they were going to require FREE broadband access;

GP's point was about the Net Neutrality thing issue, not about the cost of broadband.

I don't see how the EU's system is going to avoid that very same problem.

States subsidies the pipes, then forbits anyone to hog them for himself. In france, it was done via deblocking for example, the historical operator (France Telecom) who owned all the pipes was forced by law to let concurrents access these pipes directly up to the very consumer's house (that's total deblocking, partial deblocking means that the alernative operators get direct access to the DSLAMs and the local loop is still the historical operator's turf).

Granted the price of broadband may stay high, but if what happened in france is any indication it won't.

Let the phishing begin!

[Numbah One]

as usual, politicians are suffering from Rectal Cranial Inversion Syndrome. perhaps the following should be asked of these paragons or virtue:

- how will the "Web-disadvantaged" connect to the Internet? will the government supply some of those $100 PCs that are being developed for the third world?
- who is going to handle the tech support when these folks run into problems?
- what happens when these folks, who don't have a lot of experience on the web, get e-mail from some poor woman from Nigeria who is trying to get $10Million out of her country and is willing to give a kind person 10% or 20% if they would send her their bank account numbers? will the government reimburse them?

i think it would be great if the web became like the phone system where nearly everyone has some type of low-cost access if they want it and it has a fairly simple interface. But we're not even close at this point. the web is barely 10-12 years old. how long did it take to roll out phone service to the current level?

Fiberlines, but no broadband - welcome to Europe

[stirz]

The news.com article goes "Rural areas are still underserved, according to the Commission, with about 60 percent penetration.". I wouldn't call the German capital a "rural area". In wide areas of eastern Germany and it's former capital, telephony is mainly based on fiber optics that were installed shortly after the reuinification replacing ordinary telephone-cables. It's rather bizarre when you live there because ISPs refuse to offer you more than dial-up (64K). If you are "lucky" and still have some ordinary copper-cored cable, you might get a decent DSL connection although fiber should allow "real" broadband.


regards,

Stirz