Community access in Hungary

1. Community access in Hungary

2. Hungarian network and HTA Hungarian telecottage network was established 15 years ago. Hungarian Telecottage Association (NGO) celebrated its birthday in May.

3. The social and ICT environment has changed a lot in these years *

4. 15 years ago… Community access was important, because: • people did not have personal access, • technology was new and expensive, • technological conditions were not provided in every places (phone, internet, ect.) • only a few people was able to use new techology.

5. And nowadays? How does the role of community access changed in Hungary in last 15 years?

6. Digital usage

7. Where people use the Internet? 25% of people who start to use Internet at first time they do it at different community places.

8. Daily computer and Internet users– 35% Non users, but can be convinced – 15% – Netless 50% Dual society in Hungary * Netless 60% never been challanged to use the Internet 50% never thought about to use internet 45-50% live in households where there’s no computer, Internet access, and person who use computer and/or Internet Netizens – daily users: 25% use e-government 18% use online banking 13% attend distance learning 8% blogger

9. Strengths and weaknesses of digital equality in Hungary Strengths: • Internet using of generation of „Sulinet” is among the first in EU27 • In 2006 Hungary was the 10th in using Internet in community access points in the EU. • Hungary is one of the countries in the EU which has the lowest prices of broadband Internet access. Weaknesses: • level of digital literacy • number of people participating in adult education • ICT knowledge of employees • research and development • rate of part time workers

10. Intensify tendencies • Main dimensions of digital usages are age and income • Cultural difficulties are getting more important next to financial obstacles • Rapidly ageing society • Bottom-up building, reflective information society has been formulated • New generation of broadband access • E- government services (public service, health-care system, e-democracy) • Community information technology • The focus is on decreasing social cultural and infrastructural differences (e-Inclusion)

11. Different type of public and community acces in Hungary nowadays

12. How can telecentres and other community access points help giving a chance? • (Not only digital) „chance-giving” for the disadvantaged groups • Develop new services according to the changing needs (e.g. agricultural subsidies, web-based community system, youth governmental elections on the Internet, assistance in projects development, LETS system, etc) • Integrative and complex approch describes telecentres when interacting with clients • As they are local suppliers, they authentic to the locals • Through their diverse services, they can reach a large number of local people • Telecentres suitable to host several services because of their flexible work • Long opening hours, low-threshold services

13. Efforts on network cooperations • Developments and conceptions based on community information services related to real demands and vocational consensus. • To make financial conditions of operation, sustainability and development more calculable and make project tender-systems more adaptable. • To strenghten the resources of community information services and their organisations. To make them more visible and socially accepted.

14. Thank you for your attention! Hungarian Telecottage Association www.telehaz.hu Fabulya Edit co-president fabulya.edit@telehaz.hu