France plans to offer 1.2 million of the country's poorest citizens a computer with broadband Internet access for a daily
fee of €1 (US$1.28), to ensure that they have access to the increasing number of government services available online.
The French government has set ambitious targets for making public services available over the Internet, but is concerned that
almost half the population still lacks regular access to the Internet. Just more than half of French households now have a
PC, and 38% of households have Internet access -- more than 10 million of them with broadband. Including those who use it
at work, more than half of all French citizens regularly use the Internet, according to government figures. However, the proportion
of those online is much lower among the elderly and the poor -- often those most in need of state-provided services.
Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin announced the €1-a-day plan after Tuesday's meeting of the Interministerial Committee
for the Information Society, which proposed the idea.
Service providers will be encouraged to offer bundles consisting of a low-cost PC with software for Web browsing, security
and productivity, home tuition for those that need it, and a broadband Internet connection at a tariff equivalent to €15 a
month or less, all on a three-year contract. The government will guarantee the price of €1 a day for the poorest segment of
the population, probably using the same selection criteria as a project that offers electricity at a special basic needs tariff.
The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.
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