The United Kingdom (UK) has a goal to ensure that everyone who wants access will have it by 2005. Access can be from the home, work or a public site. Similar to approaches in Canada and the U.S., the UK has provided significant funding for public access. By 2002, all 4,300 libraries will be on-line, and 600 on-line centres will be established where they most meet the needs of local people. These centres provide access and skills training. Other initiatives are also being pursued to increase connectivity. These include encouraging employers to assist employees in home access; recycled computers for 100,000 low-income families; access from post offices; and content development. Life-long learning initiatives include: infrastructure in schools, improving educators of ICT skills, content development, ICT work placement for students, and ICT courses for the unemployed.³³

While community networks and related initiatives are maturing in Canada and the U.S., they are still in the early stages of development in other countries, including Australia and the European Community. Instead of developing these more advanced services, many jurisdictions are establishing telecentres that provide Internet access. Telecentres, sponsored by foundations, governments and companies, are being established in many developing and mid-level countries including India, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, among others. Malaysia, for example, is not only setting up telecentres in villages to address the digital divide, but has built an Internet boat. The Internet boat will stop at villages along the Rajang River to teach basic Internet skills to prepare residents for permanent Internet access in the next few years.³⁴

As in Canada and the U.S., partnerships with business are a feature of access initiatives in other countries. For example, in Australia, Microsoft has partnered through its Empower Australia program to provide education, skills training and access for disadvantaged people. Working with non-profit partners, initiatives have been developed to provide access and training services in rural and urban areas, including local content development initiatives.³⁵

A number of countries (such as Japan, Sweden, Iceland and Ireland) recently announced broadband to the community or home initiatives,. For example, Ireland’s public/private partnership will extend broadband to towns and villages across the state. At the time of writing, Canada has established a Broadband Task Force to investigate options to extend affordable broadband to rural and remote areas.³⁶

³³ UK On-line - Annual Report, September 2000.
³⁴ "Malaysian Internet Boat Surfs into Borneo", digitaldivide@list.benton.org, December 7, 2000; "Malaysian government to set up 200 village Internet centers", digitaldivide@list.benton.org, January 30, 2001.
³⁵ "Microsoft initiative for increasing Internet usage", Press Release, digitaldivide@list.benton.org, December 6, 2000.
³⁶ "State funding promotes e-commerce in regions", J. Smyth, The Irish Times, January 17, 2001.