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Tuesday 12 October 2010

Nice campaign to get the reluctant `online', but at least the line is on in the first place

A well intentioned article in the Guardian looks at the challenges faced in urban areas with those who are frightened of technology, but what about those who don't have the technology
This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com

Making connections to get the country online
Sunderland is way ahead in the race to get even its hardest-to-reach residents online. Can other areas learn from its approach?


This article deals with a serious problem, namely that even when there are good internet connections some people are reluctant to use them. This is a very fair point, and if there was good internet connectivity in rural areas there would also be a fair proportion of people who would be terrified by the prospect of using the internet.

What is being described here though ignores the fact that there are vast tracts of our green and pleasant land where people don't even get the chance to be terrified of new technology. For many the problems being tackled in Bridlington and Sunderland would be welcomed with open arms in the depths of Cumbria and North Yorkshire. Perhaps Ms Lane-Fox should be invited to come and see the situation where the spirit is willing, but the connectivity is weak.


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