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News Article  Plans to bridge the digital divide scrapped by Bush administration 02/13/02 - Digital Divide Network After a year of public speculation over whether the White House was committed to expanding Internet access and skills to all of America's citizens, the administration has finally broken its silence. It stripped. over $100 million in its FY 2003 budget for public investments in community technology grants and IT training programs. Those most affected will be rural communities, the working poor, minorities and children. "After years of building up successful public investments to expand
technology opportunity, the administration's decision to pull out comes
at an unfortunate time," said Tony Wilhelm, Senior Director at the
Benton Foundation, publisher of the Digital
Divide Network. "With the nation in an economic slump, technology
has been a proven catalyst in increasing productivity and economic growth,
especially in rural and underserved communities." The Benton Foundation's analysis of the data reveals that the gaps in technology access among citizens of different educational, income, racial and geographic backgrounds are not abating. According to "A Nation Online's" own numbers, only one in four of America's poorest households were online in 2001 compared with eight in ten homes earning over $75,000 per year. Additionally, when it comes to high-speed broadband Internet access,
almost twice as many urban households are connected when compared to rural
communities, despite the fact that rural communities would stand to gain
the most from the educational, health and economic benefits of high-speed
connectivity.  back to news |
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