Broadband Uptake & Digital Inclusion

Broadband uptake & digital inclusion

Friday 10:45

Facilitators: Robert Lundberg, Chris O’Connell.
Tags: Access, Community, Infrastructure.

Broadband uptake in NZ is above the OECD average and still increasing. However, around 1 in 5 households does not have Internet access at home (2013 Census); in some locations as few as 1 in 2 households have access. Around 8% of New Zealanders do not regularly access the Internet at all, while a further 14% are “low-level” or occasional users (World Internet Project).

Broadly, there are 4 reasons why New Zealanders are not using the Internet – lack of access, affordability, lack of skills, and lack of interest. In this session we will discuss who is not connected and why, and look at individual initiatives such as Manaiakalani, Computers In Homes, High Tech Youth Network etc. as well as international case studies. We will also look at how infrastructure initiatives such as UFB and RBI are improving access and what people can do to make the most of the opportunities they enable.