Is there a widening gap between the technological “haves” and “have-nots?” Are low-income American families being left out of the era of computers and the Internet? Some politicians claim they are, and propose an array of expensive programmes to bring poor people into the fold.
But experts say there is wide access to the new technological age if people only review and take advantage of the opportunities available to them.
It took 70 years before telephones were installed in 50 percent of American homes. By contrast, it is estimated that over half of American households will have Internet access by 2001 even though the Internet has existed as a commercial service for less than 10 years.
Source: Adam D. Thierer (Heritage Foundation), Is the ‘Digital Divide’ a Virtual Reality? Consumers’ Research, July 2000.
For more on the Internethttp://www.ncpa.org/pd/regulat/reg-9.html
