Digital inclusion charity Good Things Foundation has outlined a plan for a National Device Bank to help people who cannot afford their own devices to get online.
The plan is included in the organisation’s newly published strategy, which says it would be an important step in building a new social infrastructure to tackle digital exclusion.
The charity says that two million households in the UK still struggle to afford internet access and 10 million adults lack basic digital skills.
Its strategy document says the current pace of progress will not fix the digital divide, and that there is a need for a strong social infrastructure in which the device bank would play a crucial role.
This is leading to the creation of a national hub to take large donations of used devices from organisations in any sector, then recycle or refurbish them to distributed to people without home internet access.
Good Things will also partner with local community refurbishing schemes.
Infrastructure elements
This would work alongside the National Data Bank – already developed with Virgin Media O2 – to provide free SIM cards and mobile data allowances to people in need; and the National Digital Inclusion Network, which brings together everything the charity knows about what makes digital inclusion work in communities.
Three are plans to expand the work of the latter with a package of support, training and resources for community organisations.
The document also says that a tailored and trusted approach that reflects individual needs is what works in promoting digital inclusion.
Its introduction states: “The way we operate as a charity and the way we understand digital exclusion has shifted. We have one mission: to fix The digital divide – for good. This mission is our moonshot and it will require collaborative and innovative partnerships to succeed.”
