Free Internet Wouldn't Be Enough to Draw Some to Use It

While the Internet may seem like an essential service for many, with even the British government marking it as one, others wouldn't have any use for it even for free. According to research by the UK Communications Consumer Panel for regulator Ofcom, 42 percent of adults in the UK who currently aren't connected to the Internet wouldn't be interested even if they were given a free PC and broadband Internet connection.

The research also showed that 73 percent of those questioned believed the Internet to be as important as electricity or running water, this while only 70 percent of UK citizens had home access to the Internet, with 65 percent having broadband, 3 percent mobile broadband and 2 percent still using dial-up. "Broadband is becoming increasingly important to people's ability to participate in the economy and society," said Ofcom's market development partner Peter Phillips, according to the BBC.

30 percent of UK residents do not have Internet access but one fifth of them plan to get online within the next six months. Those without Internet access fall into two main categories, the so-called 'self-excluded' and those who can't afford an Internet connection. The first group, adding up to 42 percent, is formed of mostly retired or older citizens with 61 percent of them having never used a computer before. From those without home Internet access 30 percent said that financial reasons and lack of skills prevented them from getting connected.

"The report shows that some creativity will be required if we wish to capture the imaginations of those who have yet to engage with the benefits the internet may bring," Peter Phillips said. The UK is getting ready for the publication of the Digital Britain report, which will be coming next week and which is expected to issue a set of guidelines for regulating the Internet as well as set a plan for a broader Internet penetration in the country.