Martha Lane Fox aims to connect everyone in the U.K. to the net by 2012
October 13, 2009
Martha Lane Fox, the founder of lastminute.com is now heading a task force that aims to get everyone in the U.K. using the internet by 2012. The Digital Inclusion Task Force has been set up by the government in a bid to get the 10 million Britons who have never used the internet connected.
The scheme has been backed up by a study performed by PricewaterhouseCoopers which shows that there are dramatic economic gains to be made by getting everyone used to using the internet. The study shows that the U.K. government could actually save up to £1 billion per year in customer service costs. It also illustrates that the boost to the economy could be in the region of £20 billion.
Lane Fox says that she will lobby anyone who will listen to try and get the proposals through but points out that she doesn’t think aggressive government led projects are the way to get the message out. She says that by targeting local communities and relying on word of mouth people can be persuaded of the numerous advantages of being online.
Illustrating her point Lane Fox said that she had recently heard a story about a casual labourer who had lost his job. He now goes on line everyday to try and find work. This has apparently proved far more successful than waiting for the job centre to open by which time most jobs would have gone. She says that she has heard numerous similar stories.
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