Poorest people to be targeted first for broadband access

The six million poorest people in the UK are to be the first ones to benefit from the government's universal connectivity plan, according to a new report.

Martha Lane Fox, an internet businesswoman and digital inclusion champion for the government, said that 70 per cent of those living in social housing have no internet access, while a similar number of elderly people have never been online, reports the Financial Times.

Getting these people onto the internet could help improve their lives through web browsing and potentially cheap VoIP solutions, while also helping reduce government spending as they would have better access to online services.

Ms Lane Fox told the paper: "We don't talk enough about the fun of technology. The web every day makes things a little bit easier."

The government has pledged to connect every home to a broadband speed of at least two megabits per second by 2012, while internet service providers are also under pressure to invest in next-generation networks.