Catch22, a charity that seeks to help young people find ways out of tough situations by building strong relationships with them, has warned that the rollout of superfast broadband services around the UK could leave many feeling excluded due to problems with cost and availability.

A recent survey conducted by the charity found that 1 in 5 young people have no access to the internet. For a significant number cost will also be an issue – many being unable to afford slower dial-up internet let alone the more expensive broadband.

Of those who are able to access the internet, the vast majority used a computer, but many of these had to rely on a computer outside the home. This raises issues of easy and confidential access to the internet.


Happily the government has now confirmed that they will "prioritise the roll-out of broadband to rural neighbourhoods" (here), which should eventually help to at least tackle the availability problem. In addition the rollout of fibre optic broadband services could, if done correctly, provide for a more competitive and thus lower cost environment.

Sadly the current state of our economy means that it would be difficult for the government to solve all of these problems, although the issues raised by Catch22 will still need to be addressed.