French get €1 PCs to bridge digital divide

The French government has launched a PC giveaway scheme to encourage low-income families to get on the net.

French PM Dominic de Villepin announced earlier this week that government is looking at providing a "good quality and good value" PC, a cheap internet connection, as well as a training and support plan, for the price of €1 per day, for up to three years.

The scheme will work as a public-private partnership and is scheduled to begin in early 2007.

While around 50 per cent of French homes now have a PC, the PM is worried that only a small proportion of those are senior citizens and low-income households.

De Villepin also announced the French government will be backing WiMax rollouts in rural areas where DSL is unavailable.