Brussels, 14/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - Europeans are using digital technology more often but are critical of persisting high costs, lack of reliability and security and constraints on browser choice freedom. This information was disclosed in a Eurobarometer survey commissioned by the European Commission and carried out among 27,000 homes across the European Union. Further effort should therefore be made by communications service providers, encouraged by the member states, to respect the objectives contained in the Commission's digital strategy. This strategy was launched in May 2010 and seeks to set out ambitious objectives to enable all citizens to have broadband internet access. It also puts forward measures to improve competition, trust and security.
The survey reveals that 43% of EU households still do not have internet access. This underlines that the Commission's target of bringing digital within the reach of every European is becoming all the more ambitious. Almost one in five households surveyed mentioned the high costs associated with the internet being the reason for having no internet connection at home. Enhancing competition to get the prices down, an important objective of the Digital Agenda, would therefore be likely to encourage more people to get an internet connection.
Another reason given is that lack of interest is caused by lack of information. The number of internet users would probably increase if they knew about the advantages it would give them, particularly in terms of access to innovative services, working from home.
Europeans do, nonetheless, have a number of concerns related to internet use:
Concerns about cost and quality: 61% of EU mobile phone users and 49% of landline subscribers limit their calls because of cost concerns. In households with broadband connections, 30% say that the download speed does not remain constant, 36% experience connection breakdowns and 24% say that performance does not match contract conditions. The Commission is aware of this situation and the Digital Agenda aims to ensure access to 30 Mbps speed internet for all Europeans by 2020 and to have at least 50% of European households with subscriptions to internet connections above 100Mbps by that date.
Internet trust and security: 84% of households would want to be notified if their personal data was lost, stolen or altered while 45% are worried about their personal data being misused on social networking sites. These concerns are shared by the Commission and the telecom package contains several provisions to oblige providers of publicly-available electronic communication services to inform either the national regulator or the subscribers on breaches of personal data. On 30 September last, the Commission announced that the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) would be strengthened to combat cyber attacks, (EUROPE 10226).
Access blocked to online content and applications: 21% of the European households with internet access surveyed considered that their access to certain online content and applications has been blocked by their internet provider. This is also mentioned by an equivalent proportion of mobile internet users, but around one third attribute this to the limited capacity of their phone or their phone subscription. The Commission is preparing a report on this subject for the end of the year. (I.L./transl.fl)