The UK economy is set to gain £22bn if Lastminute.com founder Martha Lane Fox achieves her goal; getting 14 million socially and digitally excluded people online within 3 years.

The initiative is dubbed “Race Online 2012″ and to achieve it’s aims, Martha Lane Fox intends to use her business contacts to create partnerships focused on achieving her goals. So far, BT, Intel, Google, and even the electrical retailer Comet – which plans to trial an in-store scheme to help older customers familiarise themselves with the web – are on board with the scheme.

Essentially, the initiative is looking to lower the cost of broadband to those who can’t afford it and to push broadband services out into rural Britain, a market that has largely been ignored by broadband providers. This isn’t a flash in the pan idea either, Lane Fox is heading up The Office of Digital Inclusion which is a part of the Governments wider Digital Britain plans. These goals are achievable.

“It is an ambitious project, but other countries have done it. And there are some compelling reasons for driving this forward,” she said.

Here’s the part that should be music to the ears of anyone who owns, or plans to own an e-commerce store. Of the £22bn set to be generated by the scheme, £8.85bn will result directly from an increase in online sales. If Martha Lane Fox and her initiative succeed – remember they aim to have this done in just three years – e-commerce sites will have 14 million more people to sell their products to.

That’s good news if you’re already selling your products online, and it’s even better news if you’re planning to. With the public and private money being spent to get more people buying your products online, there surely hasn’t been a better time to get your business online?