Increase in broadband connection figures

According to recent figures there has been a rise in the number of households with broadband connections in the UK since last year.

According to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) the number of homes with broadband connections in the UK has increased compared to last year, rising from fifty one percent in 2007 to fifty six percent for 2008. The ONS has also estimated that the number of homes with Internet access now stands at sixteen million, which is a 1.2 million rise compared to last year.

The population in the UK is around sixty one million, and the figures therefore indicate around thirty four million people are connected to broadband services and over forty million have access to the Internet. Officials have said that this is partially down to major Internet providers now offering increasingly affordable deals when it comes to connecting to the Internet.

The figures also show that there are around eight million homes in the UK that still do not have access to the Internet, and amongst the reasons given are lack of affordability, lack of interest, or lack of knowledge about how it works. One official, however, has stated that the government is not doing enough to deal with what was described as ‘the digital divide’.

He said: “Exclusion from modern society is increasingly less about being able to get to the library and more about being able to access the rivers of information flowing in and out of British homes each day. If you cannot access these rivers you cannot take part.”

He added: “This is not only about getting cheap car insurance online. It is about equality in the marketplace. We know internet access can mean a difference of hundreds of pounds over the year from deals on utility bills, food to all other manner of other goods. In a time when costs are rising should we not allow the poorest among us a chance to keep afloat?”