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Parliamentary question - E-000710/2017Parliamentary question
E-000710/2017

Digital inclusion

Question for written answer E-000710-17
to the Commission
Rule 130
Therese Comodini Cachia (PPE)

According to the new common European broadband targets, all European households, rural or urban, and all urban areas as well as major roads, should have access to networks offering a download speed of at least 100 Mbps, which can be upgraded to 1 Gigabit.

Meanwhile a growing concern is that older adults, who do not engage with ICTs, face social disadvantages and exclusion. This widespread and growing phenomenon carries with it a series of deteriorations in life paths, such as poor health, poor lifelong earnings and an increased risk of marginalisation. It has been shown that older people who never make use of ICTs fall to a significant degree into specific gender and socioeconomic status categories, in particular women, especially housewives, who have never been in paid employment.

Has the Commission launched any study or analysis to understand what leads to digital exclusion, and what are its effects, particularly in the European Gigabyte Society?

How does the Commission intend to promote digital inclusion of older people to keep their skills up-to-date with new technological developments (more Internet use, less traditional telephony, etc…)?