Figure 3 – Home PC and Internet Penetration

Q1: How many personal computers are there in your household?
Q2: Do you currently have access to the Internet from home?

Is also apparent from the level of penetration of home computers that Internet home access will shortly reach a ceiling, unless either all households currently without computers and Internet accounts are provided with these, or unless commercial Internet providers, e.g., telco’s, cableco’s, etc., provide basic Internet service through a home device or software as part of basic television, cable service, or telecommunications service.

Even thought the digital divide has widened between sub-groups, the continued growth in the use of the Internet and access from home, albeit minor and slower growth for lower income households, indicates that there is a recognition of the usefulness and value attached to learning about, and using, online technologies. Over the past four years there has been a consistent level of use of public access sites by Canadians to either learn about the Internet, or as a primary means of access. Overall, lower income Canadians (8 per cent) tend to use these sites more than other sub-groups (6 per cent). Interestingly, research this past year found that the availability of a public access site was important for Canadians even after they had home access. More than two thirds (68 per cent) indicated that someone in their household had used a public site after getting home access. The reasons for this could be many, including: convenience when away from home; a need for training; the use of other services at the site (e.g., software, photocopying, printing, etc.); the need to use broadband.