Government to offer £98 PCs and £9 internet
A new governmental scheme aiming to bridge the digital divide could see PCs offered to the 9.2 million adults in Britain still lacking internet access for as little as £98.
The scheme, launched this week, is currently at pilot stage and subject to a 12-month trial, but the company selling the cheap PCs is predicting it will sell 8,000 this year.
The £98 price tag will also include a flat-screen monitor, keyboard, mouse, warranty, dedicated telephone helpline and delivery, and the PCs will also keep costs low by running free open-source operating system Linux.
Part of Race Online 2012, the scheme is headed up by the government's Digital Inclusion Champion Martha Lane Fox who said of the initiative: “We have an opportunity here in the UK to make sure we are achieving internet skills and usage as high as TV usage. We should be using our old computers and refurbishing them to close the gap in this country.”
Race Online 2012 has also negotiated a reduced-price mobile broadband deal with Three which will cost £9 a month or £18 for three months.