By Jo Best, 13 July 2006 13:10
NEWS
The French government has launched a PC giveaway scheme to encourage low-income families to get on the net.
French PM Dominic de Villepin announced earlier this week that government is looking at providing a "good quality and good value" PC, a cheap internet connection, as well as a training and support plan, for the price of €1 per day, for up to three years.
The scheme will work as a public-private partnership and is scheduled to begin in early 2007.
While around 50 per cent of French homes now have a PC, the PM is worried that only a small proportion of those are senior citizens and low-income households.
De Villepin also announced the French government will be backing WiMax rollouts in rural areas where DSL is unavailable.
Comments
There are 5 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
€1 per day over 3 years is not exactly a cheap solution when you calculate it out, thats €1095.
2. Chris Goodman
If I remember correctly, this is the sort of thing that discredited Blair promised a few years ago. The promise that turned into a now conveniently forgotten scheme that resulted in tax payers being blatantly robbed by fraud.
A universal broadband connection, wired or WiFi, and basic instruction on computer use and the internet/email at a token price for three (?) years is all that is needed.
3. Simon
As anonymous points out, it soon adds up, but at aroound £20/month it seems like a good deal to get a computer, and internet connection, AND training.
4. Ralph Adam
Yes, Chris,
But the French haven't got an equivalent to the excellent People's Network - with not only free Internet access in every library in the country, but experts on hand to advice on how to find information effectively.
Free PCs aren't much use if you can't use them.
5. Richard
Library staff are banned from helping:
My nice local library provides bookable, free internet access, but library staff are banned from helping or teaching users.
I occasionally need the extra speed for uploading video to C4.
We used to book locally: Library staff simply wrote the bookings in a diary.
Following an "efficiency review," everything is now arranged centrally: Booking are made with county HQ; the PC then works only for the person who has booked, only for the allotted hour.
Local library staff try to help overcome the ensuing chaos, wasting much time on the phone to HQ.