Digital Divide

Introduction

The topic that I have chosen for this paper is the Digital Divide. First I am going to start off by letting you know what the digital divide is. "Traditionally, the term "digital divide" was used to describe the gap in technology application between knowledge-based societies and the rest of the world. The digital divide, however, is also likely to be a common phenomenon within nations. That is the gap between online haves and have-nots among localities in nations such as the United States, Japan, and France will widen, therefore hindering the ability of some communities to attract jobs and companies."(Ali, 2000) Putting this into simple terms it is just the divide among household computer and internet access threw race, income, location and so on. During this paper the main topic I am going to talk about is bridging the gap of the digital divide. Which is finding ways to get the haves and the have-nots closer instead of having the gap go farther and farther. I will also talk about what areas are normally considered the have-nots. These areas are usually the poorer areas of the world. I will go on to discuss how the digital divide is effecting students education in some areas. Then the last thing I will discuss is how Alberta Canada narrowed its digital divide. I hope at the end of this paper that you can recognize that some efforts have been made to bridge the gap but not enough. This Gap is more important then you may believe so I also hope I show you this importance. Why should one man suffer his future because of where he is born or the family he is born in to?

Bridging the Gap

GBIS

One of the major goals of the international community is to bridge the gap of the digital divide. There are many possible solutions that have been brought up to bridging the gap. The first one that I am going to discuss is The Global Broadband Satellite Infrastructure. The purpose of this is to provide internet access to low income areas at a cheap and affordable price. There has been a lot of support shown for the GBSI which is why it was in the World Summit on the Information Societies action plan in December 2003. The reason that there is so much support and why this is such a big deal is because the undeveloped nations are lagging so far behind and the developed nations are growing with better technology every day. The satellite industry has already fully developed the components that they would need to install the GBIS. Yet the satellite projects that are coming about are in areas that do not need this new technology. They don't need it because they are the wealthy areas that already have internet technology. "It is important to not that today, over 70 countries that account for more than 60 percent of the world's population are satellite dependent for their national and international telecommunication services; further, nearly all other countries are dependent on satellites for their communications with those countries."(ITSO, 2002) "Therefore, it is urgent to facilitate the emergence of a global broadband satellite infrastructure with the capability to provide, on a worldwide and non-discriminatory basis, two-way high speed Internet access."(ITSO, 2002)

I feel that they need to get these satellites to the poorer areas. Why are we bringing the internet to areas that already have it? The poor are just looking for a cheap way to get access to the internet. A used computer is cheap and they can afford it but it is the internet that can't be afforded. So if these satellites make it a cheap way for the entire world then even the poor will be able to pay for this.

Clinton's plan

In February 2000, President Clinton proposed a new plan to help bridge the digital divide. Offering two billion dollar tax break to private companies, new teacher IT training programs, and Community Technology Centers in low-income neighborhoods. "I commend President Clinton and leaders from the G-8 countries for their absolutely essential initiative to harness public and private resources to bridge the global digital divide. The Internet revolution and high technology are playing an increasingly vital role in every nation's economy. Therefore, it is also vital for all citizens of the world to have access to opportunities to participate in this digital world. The President recognized the FCC's "Development Initiative" in the G-8 document, "A List of Public and Private Sector Alternatives to Bring the Digital Opportunity to Developing Countries." I can report that we have already seen positive results from this program, which helps selected developing countries strengthen their regulatory bodies with the aim of decreasing the digital divide and promoting the development of telecommunications communications infrastructure. But as the President has clearly shown in creating the Digital Opportunity Task Force, this is an effort that requires many programs and efforts on a world-wide basis. It is essential that governments and private sector companies and organizations alike join hands and employ their resources to bring everyone into participation in the digital age. Therefore, I join the President's "Global Call to Action" and urge the United States high technology and telecommunications companies to join this effort to bridge the digital divide"(Kennard,2000). Bill Clinton was making in effort on decreasing the digital divide. During election time it was said if you vote for George Bush you would be widening the digital divide gap. So threw my research on Bush and the digital divide I have realized he is not making as much of an effort as Clinton was. Clinton well during presidency announced four major things he was going to focus on.

1. A $12.5 million investment in the U.S. youth public service program AmeriCorps, most of which will be used to create an "E-Corps" of 750 new recruits dedicated to technology programs in the federally funded community service organization;

2. A $1 million investment from Web portal company Yahoo that will be spent on an Internet advertising campaign to enlist volunteers with high-tech skills for AmeriCorps' digital divide initiative;

3. A partnership between networking equipment vendor 3Com and the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) that will launch a $330,000 program called NetPrep Girls offering girls aged 14-16 training in computer networking; and

4. A pledge from the American Library Association to help bridge the digital divide by working with its members to create or expand "information literacy" programs in at least 250 communities around the country.

I could