Letter: Access to the Net

Sir: Eva Pascoe rightly draws attention to the lack of access to computing resources in UK schools ("We'll all end up paying for computer illiteracy", 11 January). And there is another cloud threatening the UK's future competitiveness: the lack of free local calls to allow inexpensive Internet access.

Children in the US who have computers at home have access to the Net at no incremental cost (after paying the ISP fee), making vast educational and research resources easily available to them (as well as building up their computer literacy). In the UK, children pay for every second spent online - a significant barrier to usage.

PETER TOFT

Bristol