Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

1. 

   David Brake, 20 Aug 2003 @ 2:23am

   
   

   That's pretty determined optimism...

   1) It concentrates on the digital divide within the US - outside the west there's still a huge digital divide.
   2) Internet access at a public school terminal or in a community centre is not comparable to Internet access at your convenience at home.
   3) Digital divide isn't mainly a race question - it's an income and education issue - "When he controlled for education and income, he found that broadband had been deployed more rapidly in minority areas than in white neighborhoods over the past two years." Sure - but if minorities are predominantly poorer and less educated the effect is the same.
   4) They correctly identify that 42% of Americans don't go online but state (without showing any statistical evidence) that "the divide that does exist between the Web and non-Web proficient is no longer defined simply by income, gender, race, or education." Well, not simply by those factors - but they are still factors. The key factor they miss is that choosing not to be interested in the Internet is probably itself a choice linked to lower education.
   Take a look at this table and you can see clearly that all kinds of divides still exist.

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

2. 

   Chris, 20 Aug 2003 @ 5:39am

   
   

   No Subject Given

   This also assumes that kids need Internet access in schools. I haven't seen any hard evidence that little Johnny can read, write and do his math homework better or quicker because his school has T1 access. Wire the libraries I can live with. But wiring every school in America at taxpayer expense just seems to a huge wealth transfer from the taxpayers to those select telcos that get the access contracts, all without any verifiable evidence that it does any good.

   [ link to this | view in thread ]

3. 

   Munich, 20 Aug 2003 @ 8:28am

   
   

   Can't Read or Write, but have internet!

   I agree with the previous post. There are schools where 50% of the students can't pass reading exams, but have internet in the classroom.

   [ link to this | view in thread ]