The Digital Divide, as defined by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is the divide between those with access to new technologies and those without. It is now one of the nation's most important economic and civil rights issues.

While broadcast television took thirteen years to reach fifty million people and personal computers took sixteen years, the Internet took only four years (Wills 1). It could be argued that no other medium provides as much information and services as the Internet (Hohman 2). Most Americans are generally optimistic about the Internet's impact on the economy and the opportunities it can and does provide ("Survey Spotlights" D10). But according to the NTIA's 1999 report, Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide, minorities, low-income persons, less educated, children of single-parent households, and people in rural or central cities are the groups of people who lack the access to information (Falling Through).

In the entire world, only two percent of all humanity has Internet access ("Extending the Net" 10). There are many areas of the world that don't have electricity, indoor plumbing, sewers, or enough food. In addition, there is an embarrassingly high rate of illiteracy in this country for adults and children. So why are people so worried about the Internet? Many people believe that all of today's social and economic exclusion problems will be multiplied by this divide, leaving too many unfulfilled and unskilled workers (Wills 2). As Kimberly Hohman, a race relations writer for About.com points out, "the net imitates life (1)." If the divide is left unattended many believe that it will establish an "impenetrable barrier not only to quality jobs, but also to educational opportunities and access to information that all Americans will need in order to be successful (PowerUP webpage)."

Some experts believe that there is no digital divide. They believe it has disappeared or was created by the government and the media. To the people who have computers and Internet access some say that there is an attitude of indifference towards the divide. Comments like "Screw the rest of the world because I've got mine," "Affirmative Internet Action," and "most people don't NEED internet access. So who cares if some people choose not to have it? If you want access, call your local ISP, it's that easy (Hohman 2)" fill Internet bulletin boards on the topic.

But majority of people believe that the digital divide has the potential to turn our country into a split society; therefore, they are pouring millions of dollars into all kinds of different programs. Money is trickling into schools, libraries, research, community centers, computer give-aways from the government and the private sector.

The Internet can help minorities overcome obstacles that have held them back in the past. It has the potential to "empower historically disadvantaged groups of Americans with greater access to the sorts of knowledge-building and communications tools that might help them to overcome at least some of their respective disadvantages (Bennetts 92)." Ted Waitt, chairman of Gateway, said that "the number one reason people buy computers and get on the Internet is for their children, so their children can have a better life (Smith 1)." Michael Powell, Federal Communications Commission member, describes the digital revolution as, "the first such economic sea change that minorities are well positioned to benefit from." He said that during the industrial revolution, "many people were riding on separate trains…the digital revolution may be the first true rich opportunity for the minority community, the black community, to bear the true fruits of (Reuters)." Gregory Davis, a maintenance supervisor in Harlem, took an intensive computer-literacy and repair course. Now he is on his way to his new dream job: a network engineer. He said, "I see what I want to do now, and I'm working incessantly to reach that goal. A network engineer can start at $90,000 a year (Marks 1)."

But what effect does this divide have on those left behind? "Being left behind in this race will potentially cost far more than missing out on a few good forwarded email jokes (Hohman 3)." It is estimated that sixty percent of new jobs in the United States will require advanced technological skills (Wills 2). Technological literacy is approaching the level of a college degree and companies are "going begging for workers with technical skills ("Ford's Bold" 3)." "Children who come of age and are computer and Internet literate will find ever more dot.com-driven benefits from the days to come: flexible workplaces, great salaries and equity stakes in growing companies (Randlett A19)."

Events

The following statistics are from the July 1999 publication of Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide.

• Households with incomes of $75,000 and higher are more than twenty times more likely to have access to the Internet than those at the lowest income levels, and more than nine times as likely to have a computer at home.
• White are more likely to have access to the Internet from home than Blacks or Hispanics have from any location.
• Black and Hispanic households are approximately one-third as likely to have home Internet access as households of Asian/Pacific Islander descent, and roughly two-fifths as likely as White households.
• Regardless of income level, Americans living in rural areas are lagging behind in Internet access. At the lowest income levels, those in urban areas are more than twice as likely to have Internet access than those earning the same income in rural areas.

In October of 1999 the PowerUP program was announced, which is a program to start community centers across the country, funded privately and by the government. PowerUP is further discussed later. President Clinton announced at the Digital Divide Summit on December 9, 1999, he intends to slam shut the digital divide. The participants of this summit, which included civil rights leaders and corporate executives, examined public and private initiatives aimed at closing the technology gap. Clinton's plans include expanding community technology centers and creating a digital divide network (Ullman 12A). He also wants to make "computers and the Internet accessible to all Americans (Glass 1G)."

The Potomac Conference was held on February 18, 2000 by Washington area leaders to discuss new educational and social programs to shrink the digital divide. Steve Case, chairman of AOL, said "we're moving into a phase where the talk is nice, but it's action that really matters. I would urge people to view this as a call to action (Behr E1)." The time of talk had past, the attitude at the conference was one of action.

Issues

There are people that wonder if computers are even necessary. Clifford Stoll, the author of High Tech Heretic: Why Computers Don't Belong in the Classroom and Other Reflections by a Computer Contrarian, says that "the Internet puts us in very close touch with distant strangers, and it isolates us from those people who are in the same room with us or in the same house." He adds that children would be better off doing physical activity or interacting with humans, than doing something similar to television. Computers may give people access to huge amounts of information, but young people are not taught the skills necessary to reflect and think critically about what they learn through the Internet. "There is a difference between having access to information and having the savvy it takes to interpret it," said Stoll (Smith 2).

What effect does location have on the digital divide? People in high-income urban areas are over twenty times more likely to have Internet access than low-income rural residents (Kennedy 18). Some rural communities have been especially excluded from high-speed Internet connections that are offered at increasingly cheaper rates in larger cities (Ullmann 12A). The gap is wide between the most wired and least wired states. Alaska, New Hampshire, Washington, Utah, and Colorado, top the list, averaging about 38 percent of households using the Internet. While Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, Louisiana, and North Carolina have the lowest percentage of households using the Internet, averaging about 17 percent (Kennedy 18).

What effect does income have on the divide? The 1999 NTIA study found that eighty percent of all home computers belong to families earning at least $75,000 a year (Ullmann 12A). While prices for computers may have become very low recently, they are still too costly for a family struggling to pay rent and feed their families (Kennedy 18). But there are some programs currently being pitched that offer a computer and Internet access for as little as $300 a year. That amount may seem too much for some families, but half of poor households own two televisions, and seventy-five percent own a VCR. The logic here is that if money can be found for television, then it can be found to buy a computer (Saunders B9).

How are technology companies benefiting from this divide? Wade Rendlett, adviser to the White House on technology issues, predicts that in five years the market will make Internet access so cheap that federal subsidies won't be needed. But until then he says that the Republicans and Democrats will unite to expand the subsidies so that high-tech companies can make money off the programs (Saunders 10). Although subsidizing Internet access seems logical, it not only appeals to low-income voters but also pleases and subsidizes the already wealthy Silicon Valley (Wright 8).

What about minorities? The digital divide is one of the top civil rights issues confronting the United States today (Ullmann 2). "In a democratic society, it's a fundamental social value to move toward greater equality of opportunity, and any trend that disempowers a large part of the population intellectually is disempowering them politically (Bennetts 95)." Such societies are unstable.

Source: Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide 1999 Report

According to the Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide Report, "whites are zipping by them [minorities] as fast as their modems will carry them (Hohman 1)." Asian/Pacific Islanders have the clear lead in computer penetration and Internet access. African-Americans have less Internet access at any location than whites, including home, work, school and library (Falling Through). Michael Powell, member of the FCC, said that the minority community "needs to become focused on becoming part of the producing class and not just the consuming class. True empowerment comes from having the means to make bread - not just eating the crumbs left by another baker (Reuters 2)."

A lot of people believe that the digital divide is not a computer problem, but an educational problem. "If we want to solve the problem, we need to educate people so they will be able to afford computers. If you have a good education, the computer problem pretty much takes care of itself. Don't focus on trying to give poor people computers; focus on teaching people how to read and write and calculate. And don't expect computers to solve the problems of public education (Bennetts 94)."

Students in predominantly white classrooms are three times more likely to have Internet access than students in mostly minority classrooms (Hill 10). Studies and surveys have shown that technology can improve student achievement, motivation, and enthusiasm for learning, especially with at-risk students. New and powerful technology containing massive amounts of information available has given hope to educators that the Internet could close the "chasm between the haves and the have-nots." But technology cannot close this chasm if the have-nots cannot access this new technology (Kennedy 17). The schools in the United States will continue to create "people who can communicate with the rest of the world, and people who can't…a structural underclass (Bennetts 91-92)."

Many school buildings, especially in poorer areas, are old and run down and would require rewiring and upgraded electrical capacity and possible additional cooling systems for the heat generated by computers. "Older school building are more likely to have to remove asbestos [than] to rewire their buildings" for new technology. And only about 1.3% of the overall monies spent on K-12 education are spent on technology (Kennedy 20). "The vast majority of all American classrooms are not even wired for telephones, much less local area networks and Internet on-ramps (Bennetts 92)."

Some schools contain computers donated by businesses. But the problems with this are that the computers are usually at least a generation behind state-of-the-art technology and therefore require more maintenance. Also acquiring different brands and models of computers make integrating them to work together smoothly difficult and expensive (Kennedy 20). Because a lot of schools don't have enough computers for every classroom, they group them into a computer lab. This makes it difficult integrating them into the curriculum (Bennetts 92).

The effect of a college education on Internet usage is significant. Sixty-one percent of people with a college education use the Internet compared to 6.6% of those who only attended high school (Falling Through). Of freshman surveyed at universities, 90.2 percent reported using the Internet for schoolwork, but only 77.6 percent of students said the same at traditionally black colleges, again showing a racial divide (Hill 10).

The digital divide seems severe in the United States, but it pales in comparison to developing countries and the industrialized West. Ninety-eight percent of the world is not connected to the Internet. Infrastructure, minimal access, ideas for Internet businesses, political resistance, and the simple fact that Internet companies have little use in developing countries, all limit its current growth. Although there are notable examples such as an Ethiopian goat merchant who sell goats over the Internet to immigrants in America, who use their US earnings to buy goats for family members back home, where the animals are highly prized ("Extending the Net" 10). A government plan in Japan calls for the financing for the creation of infrastructure to provide a reliable electricity supply for computer use in developing countries ("Government" 1).

Participants, Their Position, and Solutions Proposed

One position in the media that is gaining support is a disbelief in the digital divide. Surveys conducted in 1999 found that minorities are not falling behind, but actually catching up (Powell 43).

• The computer and Internet use among African-Americans and Hispanics is increasing at such a rapid rate that the gap could be closed in a couple years.
• A study by Forrester Research found that Hispanic households are already connected at a higher rate than whites, 36 percent to 34 percent (Marks 2).
• Target Market News found that black consumers spent $1.3 billions on computer-related products in 1998, a 143 percent increase from 1997.

Ken Smikle, editor of the report, said, "the number shows there really isn't a digital divide between blacks and white (Meadows 2G)." Omar Wasow, founder of BlackPlanet.com, said that "we forget that once upon a time televisions were a rare and expensive device that only a few households were lucky enough to possess, and now every home has nearly a TV per person. Over time, most advanced technologies that are available only to an elite few become widely dispersed among the broader population (Powell 44)." Also today with cheap access and computers (with prices approaching that of a television set), assertions of a digital divide are no longer correct (Powell 42).

Another reason for this belief is that the NTIA's report was released last summer and was widely reported as new information, but the study was actually an analysis of surveys from 1998 and earlier. The media drowned out a lot of updated information with old studies and stereotypes. Updated information was available from market research, but only a handful of news organizations reported the newer data (Powell 42, 44).

Last year's study also did not collect information about out-of-home access. According to every survey taken in the last few years, Americans get their online access at work and at school in far larger numbers than at home. Sixty-two percent of employed Americans use the Internet at work and seventy-five percent of students use the Internet at school. Donna Hoffman, who studies Internet access at Vanderbilt University, said, "Differences do indeed disappear when you measure access and use, rather than modem or computer ownership (Powell 42-44)."

The fact that minorities aren't logging on could simply be a fact of different priorities. A survey from International Data Corporations shows that roughly half of the families that don't have computers, say they don't want one (Norr A1). Robert Wright notes that the Internet offers educational resources that many low-income households lack, such as Encyclopedia Britannica. But he guesses that "most low-income teenagers are going to spend very little of their online time browsing through the Encyclopedia Britannica. Poor kids spend their time no more wisely than my middle-class friends and I spent ours. The menu of choices we faced during our free times ranged from (a) visiting the public library to (b) buying a case of Lone Star beer…I don't recall ever visiting the public library (8)." Leonce Gaiter wrote that African-American culture is too traditional to be lured into the "chaotic, shamelessly undisciplined, alternately revolutionary and reactionary" web (Hohman 3). Scott Shuger, Slate columnist, gave the following advice: "Before too much redistributive social policy gets made around such result, it might be good to add a question to the survey: 'Do you have a luxury sound system or a car less than two years old, or a luxury sound system in that car?'" Having seen many such stereos at a spring break party for black college students, Shuger concluded that the digital divide "may be a function of [black students'] own interests and choices rather than that of affordability (Hill 10)."

Even though some people believe the divide is closing, there are lots of people out there doing something about the digital divide, but many of the efforts are very fragmented (Hohman 5). Smaller class size and higher teacher pay might do more for minority students than a blueberry iMac, but teachers can't give their technological knowledge until they have the computers (Hill 10). Getting schools online has real merit. Teachers can filter the Internet and monitor its use, and they can teach kids how to program computers and design Web pages -- skills probably not learned on a Friday night at home. "If the phrase 'digital divide' gets Congress to put a few more dollars into public education, that's fine (Wright 8)."

Libraries are in a crunch to provide information to all people. Libraries now must purchase computers, and various electronic resources, along with the task of buying books. The library's role as "information navigator is being blurred (Participants... 7)." Some libraries are using computers as a teaching tool in adult literacy classes. Some adults find that computers are much more patient tutors, than adults because they can learn at their own pace. Sarah Long, president of the American Library Association, stated that, "building a nation that is both literate and logged on isn't an impossible dream ("Basic Reading" 14A)."

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, according to their web page, "will continue to look for strategic opportunities to extend the benefits of modern science and technology to people around the world, especially where poverty serves as an obstacle to participating in these benefits. Their web page also contains a lot of positive attention given to a Techmobile. The Techmobile is a Winnebago that contains eight Gateway computer workstations and four laptop computers to bring access to those who would not otherwise have technology access. But to be critical, there was a lot of money put into making the computers stable while the vehicle is in motion, which could have been spent on more than the 12 computers in the Techmobile (Gates Foundation Web page).

In 1913 Henry Ford angered his competitors by doubling the wage of his assembly line workers. Now his great grandson has made a move that his competitors will also cringe at. Ford Motor Company has offered each of its 350,000 employees worldwide a home computer system and $5 a month Internet access. The move not only creates goodwill and good publicity, but a smarter workforce. Janitors, assembly line workers, mechanics, and their family members, who might not otherwise be able to afford to enter the computer revolution, will now be able to ("Ford's Bold" 3). "It ensures that no one in the Ford family will slip into the digital divide." Ford president, Jac Nasser said, "this program keeps Ford Motor Company and our worldwide team at the leading edge of e-business technology and skills (Black 1)."

Harley Shaiken, a labor professor at the University of California-Berkeley, said that "the precedent is certainly there, and this is an industry where precedent is certainly important. It's going to be hard for GM and DaimlerChrysler to say no (Black 1)." Companies, making enormous profits "on the backs of blue collar workers" should give something back to their employees. Big business should seriously consider following Ford and Delta's (who followed a day later with a similar program for its employees) lead if they want a top-notch work force ("Ford's Bold" 3).

The Internet is increasingly being offered through broadband, which Robert Wright believes will make the Internet more a medium of entertainment, than education. And as the Web becomes more entertainment oriented, people of low-income will need less encouragement to get online. But how will they afford it? Cable companies asked the same questions years ago about wiring the inner city for cable. But it turned out that the low-income households not only got the minimum monthly service, they also went for the expensive premium channels too (Wright 8). And the things that attracted them to cable, movies, sports, pornography, will be available in greater numbers on the Web, assuming prices are competitive. And Wright predicts that broadband will soon be comparable in price to cable (8).

Government Solutions

Vice President Al Gore, proposed steps to provide Internet access to every home across the country at a speech at Morgan State University, a historically black college. Gore is counting on black voters to support him to win the primaries on March 7. He is trying to make high-tech issues his own. Some of his proposals include: more government research, using AmeriCorps to volunteer at high-tech community centers, and to change the Internet charging system to a flat rate. B. Keith Fulton, director of technology programs and policies for the National Urban League, said that Gore's proposals will resonate with minority voters (Page 7A).

Universal Access is an idea, which would bring Internet service to all Americans, just as was done with the telephone. The federal government's main initiative to achieve this is through the e-rate, which was part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. It provides discounts of twenty to ninety percent, on telecommunications and Internet technology, to schools and public libraries. In the first year of the program over 30,000 schools and libraries applied and 25,785 were funded (Kennedy 20-22). The e-rate is supported by the Universal Service Fund and paid for via extra charges made on telephone bills. Critics of the e-rate say that telephone customers shouldn't have to pay for this (Macavinta 1). But a poll by the Education and Libraries Networks Coalition found that eighty-seven percent of Americans support providing discounts to needy schools and libraries (Kennedy 22).

ClickStart is a program developed by the Clinton administration that would bring affordable hardware and dial-up Internet access to low-income families (Randlett A19). "You've come a long way, America, from a chicken in every pot to a laptop on every lap." ClickStart families would agree to a payment of $5-10 per month for three years as well as giving five hours per month of community service. There is currently a pilot program running in Oakland, California (Saunders B9). If all goes well, this program could reach as many as 9 million poor families (Norr A1).

Some people disagree with this idea of handing out almost free computers. "Because someone who makes $8 an hour decided to support a wife and two kids, and therefore put himself at the official poverty level, he somehow deserves money from my paycheck to put a computer in his home? ("Clinton" B10)." People wonder how there is enough money to give away computers and online services, but there is not enough to cut everyone's income taxes (Saunders 10).

Many people also do not understand why the families must also agree to community service. "The fund-raising genius of the Clinton administration has now figured out a way to raise money off of poor people." The program would be the equivalent of a "digital check-cashing store," causing poorer Americans to pay more than other Americans. A donation of five hours per month at minimum wage plus the $5 per month fee, amounts to $35 per month. This is 60% above the current price of AOL. The private market is already providing free email, Internet access, and even computers. Companies see that it is more important to have viewers and make money from advertisers than to charge money for equipment and access. "Rather that using the persuasive power of the federal government to have the high-tech industry hire people from depressed areas, provide scholarships to minority-serving institutions, and advertise in the media that serve them, Clinton instead feeds stereotypes by bribing them to provide the service they should invest in themselves. The $100 million would be better spent supporting minority high-tech businesses, wiring additional schools, libraries, and post offices... Instead, the president should require hours of community service, venture backing of minority businesses, marketing to minority communities, donations of surplus equipment and fair hiring practices from high-tech executives who have received so much from the government (Templeton A19)."

PowerUP is compromised of more than a dozen nonprofit organizations, major corporations, and federal agencies, which have joined to launch a multimillion-dollar initiative to help bridge the digital divide (PowerUP webpage). PowerUP is an example of how public and private partnerships can make a real difference. Pilot sites have already been established in Seattle, San Jose, Alexandria, Virginia, and Washington D.C and will be based in schools and community centers (Johnston 2). PowerUP's board of directors include Steve Case (AOL), Carly Fiorina (Hewlett-Packard), David Mercer (YMCA), Colin Powell (White House chief of staff), and Ted Waitt (Gateway). PowerUP has five 'cyber' promises: ongoing relationships with caring adults, safe places and structured activities, a healthy start, marketable skills through effective education, and an opportunity to serve (PowerUP webpage).

The Case Foundation has granted $10 million to establish PowerUP. The AOL Foundation has donated $100,000 AOL accounts. The Waitt Family Foundation will supply 50,000 Pentium-class PCs (Johnston 2). The Corporation for National Service will provide more than 400 AmeriCorps and VISTA members to train and provide assistance to the centers (PowerUP webpage). The YMCA of the USA, Boys and Girls Club of America, National Urban League, Sun Microsystems, Save the Children, and Power Bar will also contribute to PowerUP. Power Bar will donate PowerBars to the PowerUP sites. Colin Powell, chairman of America's Promise calls PowerUP, "something much, much greater and important than computers and software (Johnston 3)." He says computers will draw children off the streets and away from the television into a world of educational programs.

In my opinion, what is a likely resolution?

Some people think this is an important problem, ready to tear apart our country so dedicated to equality. And some people believe that the digital divide is closing and it will take care of itself. If people want the service they will find a way to get it. But whatever stance a person takes on the digital divide, one thing seems clear to me. Minorities and poor people are often swept under the rug and exploited as prosperity passes them by. And it seems very clear that a lot of important people are caring about them, for whatever motives. Whether to help big businesses or to actually help some people, programs are being set up in communities across the country to help provide access. And whether the surveys are incorrect or use old data it is still a good thing to help people that are disadvantaged. The Internet provides an opportunity for many people to become something greater than they are; to realize dreams they have or never knew they had.

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