Location: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2126173,00.html
Blair promises broadband for every school
Graeme Wearden
The British government will pay for a broadband connection for every primary
and secondary school in the UK, Tony Blair announced on Tuesday.
Speaking at the e-Summit in London on Tuesday, the prime minister explained
that the initiative is part of a major project to bring high-speed Internet
access to the UK's public sector, across the education, health and criminal
justice sectors.
"As part of the spending review settlement, a total of more than £1bn will
be invested in networking our public services. Not only for every primary
and secondary school, but broadband connectivity for every GP surgery, every
hospital and every Primary Care Trust in the UK," said Blair.
Blair warned that too many of Britain's public services live in the
technological "dark ages", with too few school teachers using email, and a
lack of IT compatibility between different parts of the criminal justice
system.
Britain's broadband divide will have to be addressed if today's target is to
be met. It is estimated that around one-third of Britain's schools cannot
currently get an affordable broadband connection because they are not
located within the broadband networks of BT, ntl, Telewest or another
telecoms operator.
A government spokesman indicated that a range of solutions -- from providing
a satellite connection to ADSL-enabling the local telephone exchange --
would be considered. "There will certainly be different solutions for
different schools," he said.
The prime minister also announced that a total of £6bn will be invested in
information and communication technologies over the coming years.
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