Increasingly, digital exclusion is seen as a major barrier to personal, community and regional economic well-being. Evidence suggests that the current approaches and provision have failed large sections of our city region. The financial and technical challenges associated with “crossing” the digital divide have proved insurmountable for many of our citizens.

Community Grid offers a sustainable solution, which will digitally enable communities, by providing easy-to-use, low cost, low-energy, home access to the internet and other computing resource. The service is scalable and can reach digitally excluded citizens in all areas of our city region.

Users are provided with all the necessary peripherals and a small, lightweight computing device called a ‘thin client’ which allows them to connect to a managed computing platform. This is hosted at a central data centre. This data centre, located within a local Digital Enterprise Centre, hosts software applications and allows access to the internet. The connection to users’ homes is provided via a wireless, point-to-point solution and data is aggregated at local points where it is carried onto the fixed, wired network and to the data centre.

Low-cost, low-energy
The initial investment is required to establish a robust infrastructure for the service, which allows for low, ongoing running costs. Costs are kept low because:

• No telephone landline to the home is required so there is no individual rental to the traditional telecoms providers or ISPs
• Thin clients can be used instead of the usual PCs - they are cheaper to buy and also last longer (in technology terms) than PCs
• Running costs and in particular energy costs are a fraction of the traditional home PC
• Existing network infrastructure is used, in particular Council-run Metropolitan Area Networks

Ease of Use
A managed service is provided, which means that the user just has to switch on and log in. The service offered by Community Grid takes care of all connectivity, hardware, software, licensing and maintenance overheads, which, for a home user, can combine to present a major barrier to use.

A simple interface, created with help from the local community, is tailored to those it is to serve - involvement of the community is of key importance in the project. It ensures that when users switch on they are welcomed into a familiar environment and that the service is of value to the individuals of that community. This encourages people to use it, so developing skills and enabling digital inclusion.

Pilot Status
A pilot of Community Grid is in service in St Helens serving the community around St Cuthbert’s College and in Liverpool, serving the community of the North Liverpool Academy. Over 100 homes are now connected to the service. A project in the Tranmere/Rockferry area of Wirral is in the feasibility stage.

The project models have involved a combination of the AIMES Centre, local technology providers, local schools, neighbourhood teams and local registered social landlords. The key is a central hub organisation to access a community of users, including adults and children. The support of the neighbourhood workers has proved essential in accessing users who, because of issues of social exclusion, are more responsive to face-to face communication from a trusted person than to other approaches. The Community Grid project forms part of the wider Digital Inclusion & Enterprise Programme.