Bringing the Internet to you

Being able to use the Internet is fast becoming central to our lives. If you don’t have, or can’t afford, the tools to use the internet, it puts you at a big disadvantage. What on earth could I do with the Internet? It gives you a way to do all sorts of things from home that we used to have to travel some distance to do.

• You can sort out your pension or benefits over the Internet.
• You can pay bills and do your banking.
• You can buy food, clothes, household goods, prescription drugs and even stamps.
• You can buy and read books and magazines – getting them delivered to your door or read them on your screen.
• You can find up to date information on  a huge range of things, from the council, the health service and more.
• You can also use the Internet to make cut-price or free phone calls anywhere in the world, the video calls we were first promised so many years ago, and even watch or listen to films and TV and radio programmes

This is just a tiny selection of the things you can use the Internet for. You get more choice, without leaving your seat, and buying services and products online can be cheaper than doing it face to face or over the phone. To use the Internet you need a computer or another gadget like a smart phone, tablet, iPad or a device that adapts your TV set. You also need a way to connect your gadget to a company linking you to the Internet. This is usually done with a traditional phone line, a super fast cable connection or a wireless signal. You may also need a small machine called a router. If the Internet is as foreign to you as the computer you’ll need, we’ll provide a bit of hand-holding and steer you clear of shifty companies selling  things you don’t need or want.