Widening the digital divide

The gap between cyber-haves and have-nots is growing wider, even as more people are jumping on the Internet bandwagon, recent reports show. For example, in 1997 and in 2001, the percentage of users with incomes under $25,000 grew from 10 percent to 25 percent, reports the U.S. Commerce Department. But in the same period, the percentage of users with incomes over $75,000 jumped from 45 percent to 75 percent. The gap widened from 35 percent to 50 percent.

The Bush administration sees such growth as progress sufficient to eliminate the need for federal help to bridge the digital divide. Last year, the administration cut $62.5 million from the two federal programs created to address the divide: the Technical Opportunity Program and the Community Technology Centers program. In its 2003 budget, the administration proposes to get rid of them altogether. These are programs that make computers and the Internet available to the public in libraries, schools and colleges, and in community centers.

A coalition of 100 groups has organized a national Digital Empowerment Campaign to fight the cuts. For more information, visit www.digitalempowerment.org/.