That is according to Gordon Brown on Tuesday after the publication of Digital Britain, a report setting out the Government’s approach to the internet in society and the economy.

The Government acknowledged broadband’s necessity with a promise – to give two megabits per second access to every household by 2012.

And it got me thinking about how important it is for me.

So much of day-to-day life is built around the internet.

I do some of my shopping there, frequently bank online, email, pay bills, look up information in a second and more.

Previous job hunts were nearly impossible without a broadband connection, with online application forms and tests the norm.

And even simple things, like when a hunt for citric acid in two chemists yielded no success, I clicked online and found what I needed in a flash.

If money was tight, I would even drop the TV licence in favour of a monthly internet bill.

I could survive without it, but engaging in social and economic life would be hampered.

Maybe that’s a sad truth, I’m not sure, but it is a sign of the times.

That is why I am pleased the Government has made its pledge to give everyone broadband access, especially after the BBC reported last month that about 3 million people live in broadband ‘notspots’ – unable to connect.

As the Prime Minister said in The Times on Tuesday, we are at a “tipping point” in the broadband era where it will soon become a necessity for all.

I agree - a lack of decent speed broadband will soon be considered a measure of serious deprivation and equal internet access for all will be yet another yardstick by which we measure the gap between the rich and the poor in this country.