‘Broadband for all’ scheme unveiled as usage limits criticised
Internet access is rapidly becoming a necessity rather than a luxury. Whether the Web is used for work, research, or entertainment, the range of sites and services available to all is astoundingly diverse and wide-ranging. But not everyone can afford a computer or Broadband, and even if they do, they’re likely to become the victim of ISP usage caps.
The UK government wants everyone to have the opportunity to surf the Net. That includes people on low incomes who may not be able to afford to eat properly or heat their homes. But those two things aren’t important compared to being online. I’m being facetious of course, but the latest Broadband for all scheme unveiled in Britain does seem to put the Internet on a par with eating and sleeping.
As BBC News explains, the scheme is currently being piloted in a few parts of the country before eventually being rolled out across the UK. It sees the government giving grants to people who want a computer and access to the Internet but can’t currently afford it. IT firms are also being asked to offer cut-rate deals to people living in impoverished areas.
This scheme is intended to break the digital divide that is seeing poorer children left behind in terms of what can be learnt and gained from having access to a computer and the Internet. But those people venturing on to the Internet may find themselves limited in what they can do due to the current trend for Broadband usage limits.
The caps put on a service by ISPs sees a bandwidth limit placed on an account, which when exceeded triggers either a warning email, a slower service, or even getting completely cut off. But a recent survey by uSwitch showed that the majority of Brits are still confused about the limits, or in some cases, even unaware they exist.
The big problem comes as a result of these Broadband packages being described as unlimited when they quite they quite clearly aren’t unlimited. In fact, a truly unlimited service is very rare and would probably result in the Internet Service provider offering it going out of business very quickly.
The thing is, the Web is evolving at a scary pace, and what was once a place full of tiny images and text-based websites is now a place where graphic-heavy sites, video downloads, and embedded music rule the roost – all of which take a toll on monthly bandwidth limits.
While I applaud the British government’s decision to try and make the Web accessible by all, any such scheme will only work if Broadband truly become unlimited. Otherwise, as the range of Internet-based services grow, people in the UK will be left behind while the rest of the world forges ahead.
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November 3rd, 2008
At least in the UK you can get a more reasonably priced and fast service (although they trail behind most European countries) than in Australia. In Australia, internet acess is expensive, unreliable and bandwidth increase is being restricted by the monopoly Telstra.
Every time I return home from Europe or Asia, it’s comical to find myself using glorified dial-up to carry out basic internet tasks (banking, e-mail, and of course endless Windows updates).
November 4th, 2008
This is bogus; they are limiting bandwidth not because of cost of delivering the service but the threat of people using the internet to watch TV and movies tapping into their cable TV profits. Everyone should let AT&T know this is a bad move and will slow the progress of the internet. use AT&T for internet now and will have no issue moving off if needed. I use Vudu and other internet technologies to watch TV and this limit would be an issue.