Organisations caring for the elderly and disadvantaged in the midlands have applied to join the Internet generation.
Taking advantage of a scheme advanced by the Department of Public Enterprise, community advice centres, area development partnerships and local libraries intend to supply computers with Internet access to groups such as the elderly, the isolated and the financially disadvantaged.
A plan has been drawn up by the Tullamore-based Midlands Regional Authority in response to the Department's call for applications for funding, according to the authority director, Mr Jim Stone.
"We want to put the computers into health boards and day care centres - places where they will be accessed by people who would otherwise not get to use the technology," he said.
The regional authority is also preparing an information technology plan to develop access to technology throughout the region.
"The Department of Public enterprise came up with the initiative of giving the public at large access to the roll out of broadband communications which is currently taking place across the country," he said. "The attitude was that these broadband cables were going to pass through small towns and villages on their way across the State and people should be able to tap in."
The Department announced a fund to assist communities to buy the hardware necessary to take advantage and the Midlands Regional Authority worked with local authorities, health boards and others in devising an application for £100,000 in grant aid.
"We were concerned not to overlap with other organisations who were seeking technology grants through other means and we were aware that the Shannon region has already a technology plan in place, as has the west," said Mr Stone.
The grants will be announced next month.