Specialist Task Force 324:
Extending e-Inclusion for Public Internet Access Points (PIAPs) 

Who we are:

Team Leader: Mike Pluke
Françoise Petersen
Team Members: Valentin Alonso Alvarez
Mikael Goldstein
ETSI Human Factors:  

This EC/EFTA funded STF will produce the following ETSI Technical Specification:

• Draft TS 102 577: Human Factors (HF); Public Internet Access Points (PIAPs)

Your input to and comments on our draft are welcome!

The ETSI Technical Specification will establish and set out guidance for providers and operators of Public Internet Access Points (PIAPs). A "Design for All" approach will be followed to ensure that PIAPs will be more readily accessible to all people, including elderly or disabled users and users from a wide range of cultural backgrounds.

Our project will identify approaches to enhance eInclusion in the provision and use of PIAPs. The Technical Specification will:

• address issues that have arisen from previous studies and reports on the use of PIAPs;

• identify existing standards, recommendations and guidelines (especially from ETSI, the ITU-T and CEN) that provide useful guidance to reduce barriers to the use of PIAPs;

• propose new normative requirements, guidelines as well as updates to existing standards, recommendations and guidelines to support eInclusion for PIAPs;

• identify the need for and content of new standards, specifications and guidelines that need to be developed.

Consultation will take place with relevant stakeholders such as groups representing elderly and disabled users of PIAPs, organisations deploying PIAPs (especially public authorities) and PIAP manufacturers.

Read our Terms of Reference

Why we do it:

This project supports the eEurope 2005 objective "to give everyone the opportunity to participate in the global information society" (COM(2002) 263 "eEurope 2005: An information society for all") which includes easy access to Public Internet Access Points (PIAPs), preferably with broadband connections, in their communes/municipalities.

For economic, availability and cultural reasons, many people do not have access to their own facilities for accessing eGovernment, eLearning, eHealth and eBusiness services. For these people, and for any person currently remote from their own means of access, PIAPs will be one of the few ways for people to make use of such services.

The ability of all users to make effective use of PIAPs will be one of the most important factors that determines how successful PIAPs will be in extending eInclusion to ensure that the highest number of users make use of eGovernment, eLearning, eHealth and eBusiness services. Whilst there is already widespread provision of PIAPs throughout Europe, most do not offer ease of access to disabled and elderly users. The wide provision of PIAPs cannot be properly effective unless they are readily accessible to elderly and disabled people.

The provision of PIAPs in accordance with the guidelines developed by this project will support eGovernment and the provision of online health care and also give all citizens, irrespective of age, disability or cultural background easy access to PIAPs. Buyers of PIAPs, most notably public authorities, will be able to use the guidelines as a basis for requirements written into public procurement agreements for the purchase of PIAPs.

How to contact us:

You are welcome to contact us at: PublicInternetAccess@etsi.org 

If you want to discuss with a wider group, use our mail list:  PublicInternetAccess@list.etsi.org 

To subscribe, go to: http://list.etsi.org/PublicInternetAccess.html  

Events

Events in 2007

• CEN/ISSS CDFG in Helsinki 7-9 October 
• Milestone C approved at ETSI HF#44 in Sophia Antipolis 24-28 September 
• Meeting with Junta de Castilla-La Mancha and Telefónica Public Telecommunications Toledo 11 July 
• Milestone B approved at ETSI HF#43 in Sophia Antipolis 11-15 June 
• Interview with LDICN Leicester 30 April 
• CEN/ISSS CDFG in Stockholm 15-17 March 
• Milestone A approved at ETSI HF#42 in Sophia Antipolis 19-23 February

In addition, the STF has visited a great number of PIAPs.

Planned events

• ETSI HF#44 at ETSI in Sophia-Antipolis Feb 2008 
• HFT in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 18-21 March 2008 
• CEN/ISSS CDFG in Estonia March 2008 
• ETSI HF#45 at ETSI in Sophia-Antipolis June 2008 

Time plan for the work: