The UK government has confirmed the commencement of a scheme through which under- privileged families across Britain will receive free laptops and internet (broadband) access for a pre determined period.

The proposal has been termed the Home Access initiative and is expected to cost the UK government £300m. The scheme was first outlined in 2008 in the month of September by Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Trials were conducted in 2009 in two regions and they were quite successful.

In a recent press statement, the government has declared that 270,000 low income families in Britain will be offered a laptop for free and a fixed-line connection on application for a grant. While they can keep the laptop for life, the broadband connection will be funded by the government only for a year beyond which they can renew it themselves if required.

Gordon Brown, whose brainchild the scheme is, advocated this digital incentive with a view to popularizing broadband across the UK back when he was Chancellor in 1999. Brown had first suggested the idea of low income families being offered computers to bridge the digital divide.

Generally, a low income family can be identified by whether or not children of a family are provided free school meals as this meal scheme is the UK government acknowledgment of such families. However, the UK government has categorically stated that not all families with children enjoying free school meals will be offered a computer and home broadband. Families that successfully get the grant will receive laptops with broadband from next year.