Finsbury Park residents happy with free broadband deal

A collection of residents in London's Finsbury Park have said they are happy to continue a deal that sees them enjoying free broadband access using recycled PCs.

Islington council has provided a number of residents with old council PCs installed with the main applications of Microsoft Office and a link to training programmes and recruitment opportunities in the region, reports eGov Monitor.

As a result of the scheme's success, the deal will be rolled out to 15 additional homes, all of which could have access to VoIP solutions and free internet use.

Daniel Batts, head of Microsoft's Digital Skills for Citizens Programme in the UK, told the website: "Islington council's work in supporting the community in this way is a superb example of what local government can do at grass roots level to close the digital divide that exists across the UK."

Local residents have responded positively to the community scheme as it allows them to job-hunt and undertake training programmes from home.

The government plans to provide every UK home with a connection of at least two megabits per second by 2012.