Welsh Affairs Committee Inquiry into Digital Inclusion in Wales BT’s response February 2009 Digital Inclusion in Wales - comments from BT Introduction 1. BT Wales welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Welsh Affairs Select Committee inquiry into Digital Inclusion in Wales. This written submission provides a snapshot of BT’s current activity, as a partner of government and wider civil society, in assisting digital inclusion. 2. BT is the world’s oldest communications company, tracing our history back to the UK’s Electric Telegraph Company established in 1846. However, we have come a long way since then. BT’s story is one of transformation, a story of a company that has grown and prospered. Today we operate in 170 countries and employ over 100,000 people. We have one of the largest IP networks in the world and serve 18 million customers – from consumers and small businesses, to some of the world’s largest global companies. 3. Our products – which include home telephones, BT Vision (our television service), broadband and complex IT networks – help our customers communicate. Thanks to investment from BT, more homes in the UK now have access to broadband than have access to mains water and more than half of UK households are now connected to broadband. 4. As a social corporate citizen BT in Wales sees itself as a positive partner: • supporting its communities - through schemes encouraging digital inclusion; • championing the Welsh language - with an award-winning bilingual policy; • promoting competitiveness - by investing millions in the Welsh economy annually. 5. BT is helping Wales to take its place in the global knowledge economy. BT is equally as proud of its record in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), playing a leading role on a range of issues, from tackling climate change to helping alleviate social exclusion. 6. In the specific field of digital inclusion, BT is committed to delivering on its corporate social responsibilities to bridge any barriers to an inclusive society. Examples of such activity carried out by BT include: • over 99% broadband coverage in the UK means everybody can benefit from the opportunities of fast communication; • we communicate with customers in ways that suit them, with available alternative formats including Audio CD, Data CD, Braille, E-Information and Large Print; • our inclusive design toolkit encourages product designers to develop products that are accessible to as many people as possible; • the BT Internet Rangers website provides tools for young people to teach older relatives how to use the internet; • we are working with Age Concern to help transform their nationwide computer drop-in centres and access points into a network of Silver Surfer clubs; • we are similarly active outside the UK. For example, BT is working with Unicef on “Inspiring Young Minds”, a three year strategic programme in which BT is investing £1.5 million into projects that focus on bringing education, ICT and communications skills to Welsh Affairs – Digital inclusion in Wales: BT comments February 2009 Page 1 of 8 disadvantaged children in South Africa (2007/8), Brazil (2008/9) and China (2009/2010). The recommendations of the Government’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan, with respect to their application to Wales 7. Please see attached, in Annex A, a copy of BT’s response to the UK Government’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan. 8. One of the key comments in that response was that whilst we agreed with much of the analysis concerning the types of people who are excluded (older people/those with disabilities), we would like to see further focus by the UK Government on pinpointing specific geographical communities. As noted in point 16 of our consultation response: “There is a passing reference to Project Access in Cumbria (in Chapter 4 on page 31). The document also refers to stats from the ONS in the North East England. It would be interesting to know the picture in other areas. For example, there is a similar picture in the South Wales valleys, which are characterised by social deprivation – high levels of sickness/higher than average unemployment/low educational and skills levels/highest teenage pregnancy rates/high sickness levels. Access to broadband is high but take-up is very low – hovering above 30%. Focusing on geographic areas might provide a more rounded picture alongside the existing demographics information.” 9. BT Wales believe that in addition to targeting specific groups such as elderly people, specific targeting of areas in Wales with low broadband take-up, such as the South Wales valleys, may be the most effective means of increasing digital inclusion overall. At the time of writing, BT is currently involved with a leading Welsh think tank, The Bevan Foundation, in preparing the ground for a research project pinpointing reasons behind low broadband take-up in these South Wales valley communities. The role, responsibilities and actions of the Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and local government in promoting digital inclusion, especially with regard to (a) education and young people; (b) access to services; and (c) availability and access for hard-to-reach groups. 10. BT Wales believes that joint collaboration across sectors from public, private and the voluntary sector is a highly effective way to increase digital inclusion across the entire nation. 11. Over numerous years BT has worked in collaboration with both the Welsh Assembly Government and local authorities in order to increase digital inclusion in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government – Communities@One. 12. In 2005 BT held initial discussions with several voluntary groups in Wales and with the WAG following three successful projects it ran working with Citizens Online. The three projects were in Rhyl West, Rhondda and Newport. The basic approach was to employ a full time community worker from each of the wards identified for the projects. The community worker became the ICT champion and encouraged take up of technology by identifying people’s Welsh Affairs – Digital inclusion in Wales: BT comments February 2009 Page 2 of 8 interests and needs. The aim was to establish a Wales wide programme using the same methodology. The WAG saw the benefits of this approach and created the communities@one programme, which has been hugely successful. BT has remained involved with the project through the advisory board. Communities@one has been able to support many wide-ranging projects across Wales, some of which have also had BT involvement. Communities@One was recently shortlisted for the European e-inclusion awards. We understand the WAG intends to develop the programme into a new project to be called Communities 2.0 and to look specifically at the role of social enterprises in community regeneration. Local Government – Looked After Children Project 13. The Looked After Children project in Caerphilly, was launched in December 2007 and in Carmarthen in 2008. BT in Wales identified that Looked after Children are a particularly vulnerable group and often excluded from digital technology as they do not have consistent access to a computer or broadband connection at home. This is a contributory factor to their low educational attainment which in turn impacts on their employability and life chances. BT has worked with two local authorities, Carmarthen and Caerphilly, to provide computers and broadband connections at the homes of the families caring for Looked After Children. In Caerphilly the local authority was able to obtain funding from the Welsh Assembly Government to augment the funding received from BT and, therefore, has been able to reach more children, 90 in total across the borough. BT has also initiated a programme to provide work experience in BT for Looked After Children and we are in active discussion with the WAG Minister for Children and Young People on ways in which this can be developed further. We hope that other private sector organizations will join in offering a pan Wales work placement programme for looked after children and care leavers. Voluntary sector partnerships with BT in Wales 14. BT has worked with a number of voluntary organisations in Wales ranging from Barnardo’s Cymru to Valleys Kids, from Help the Aged to Childline Cymru. Some recent projects carried out in partnership with local community and voluntary sector groups, include: • assisting both financially and free consultancy time with a community house in Holyhead, MORLO (Morawelon and London Road community project), to provide an ICT resource for digitally excluded people living on the estate and surrounding areas; • creation of a digital inclusion programme, titled TARAN, in order to raise awareness for tenants and residents on the Treseifion council estate of the opportunities that arise when people have the required skills and access to ICT. To date the programme has been a great success drawing in new partners such as RNIB Cymru and Careers Wales. The adequacy of technological infrastructure provision throughout Wales (including Broadband, wireless, mobile, digital TV and digital radio). 15. The future success of the Welsh and UK economies depends on them being ready for competition between knowledge economies. A knowledge economy requires world-class education, an environment that encourages entrepreneurialism, and a competitive cost base. We have to work at being world-class in all of these - we cannot presume to automatic leadership in any Welsh Affairs – Digital inclusion in Wales: BT comments February 2009 Page 3 of 8 area. As is now almost universally accepted, the immediate competitive challenge is coming from Asia. 16. The next generation of global competition will, therefore, have a profound impact upon the competitiveness of the UK. Britain will need to take tough choices in the fields of education, innovation and productivity to take advantage of the major economic changes which lie ahead. The current economic turmoil adds a layer of complexity, of course.