Excite Offers E-Mail Accounts to British Pupils

Excite Inc. announced plans to issue a free e-mail account to every British schoolchild as part of Britain’s drive to wire all its schools to the Internet by 2002. Redwood City-based Excite, an Internet search engine company, hopes to give Britain’s 10 million pupils Web-based electronic mail by the end of 1998. Excite spokeswoman Melissa Walia declined to say how much the e-mail program would cost but said the price will be offset by advertising once sponsors are determined. The e-mail accounts will block unsolicited mail, and any ads will be “child appropriate,” with no alcohol, violence or adult content. Students can keep their free e-mail accounts for the rest of their lives, Walia said. Earlier, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced a broader five-year program to bring every one of the country’s 32,000 schools online. Excite shares were unchanged $29.88 on Nasdaq.