Cybertelecom Federal Internet Law & Policy An Educational Project

Digital Divide / Rural Broadband Infrastructure Development

Derived From: Lennard Kruger, CRS Report to Congress, Broadband Loan and Grant Programs in the USDA's Rural Utilities Service (May 15, 2008)

"Broadband" refers to highspeed Internet access for private homes, commercial establishments, schools, and public institutions. Currently in the United States, broadband is primarily provided via cable modem (from the local provider of cable television service) or over the telephone line (digital subscriber line or "DSL"). Other broadband technologies include fiber optic cable, fixed wireless, satellite, and broadband over power lines (BPL).

Broadband access enables a number of beneficial applications to individual users and to communities. These include e-commerce, telecommuting, voice service (voice over the Internet protocol or "VOIP"), distance learning, telemedicine, public safety, and others. It is becoming generally accepted that broadband access in a community can play an important role in economic development. A February 2006 study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration marked the first attempt to measure the impact of broadband on economic growth. The study found that "between 1998 and 2002, communities in which mass-market broadband was available by December 1999 experienced more rapid growth in employment, the number of businesses overall, and businesses in IT-intensive sectors, relative to comparable communities without broadband at that time."

Subsequently, a June 2007 report from the Brookings Institution found that for every one percentage point increase in broadband penetration in a state, employment is projected to increase by 0.2 to 0.3% per year. For the entire U.S. private non-farm economy, the study projected an increase of about 300,000 jobs, assuming the economy is not already at full employment.

Access to affordable high-speed Internet service is viewed as particularly important for the economic development of rural areas because it enables individuals and businesses to participate fully in the online economy regardless of geographical location. For example, aside from enabling existing businesses to remain in their rural locations, broadband access could attract new business enterprises drawn by lower costs and a more desirable lifestyle. Essentially, broadband potentially allows businesses and individuals in rural America to live locally while competing globally in an online environment.

Given the large potential impact broadband may have on the economic development of rural America, concern has been raised over a "digital divide" between rural and urban or suburban areas with respect to broadband deployment. While there are many examples of rural communities with state of the art telecommunications facilities,3 recent surveys and studies have indicated that, in general, rural areas tend to lag behind urban and suburban areas in broadband deployment. For example:

• A September 2004 Department of Commerce report, A Nation Online: Entering the Broadband Age, found that a lower percentage of Internet households have broadband in rural areas (24.7%) than in urban areas (40.4%), and that "while broadband usage has grown significantly in all areas since the previous survey, the rural-urban differential continues."4 The report also found that broadband penetration rates are higher in the West and Northeast than in the South and Midwest.
• A May 2006 report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that 17% of rural households subscribe to broadband, as opposed to 28% of suburban and 29% of urban households.6 GAO also found that lower broadband subscription rates in rural areas are related to availability, not to a lesser tendency of rural households to purchase broadband service.
• 2007 data from the Pew Internet & American Life Project indicate that while broadband adoption is growing in urban, suburban, and rural areas, broadband users make up larger percentages of urban and suburban users than rural users. Pew found that the percentage of all U.S. adults with broadband at home is 52% for urban areas, 49% for suburban areas, and 31% for rural areas.
• According to the latest FCC data on the deployment of high-speed Internet connections (released March 2008), high-speed subscribers were reported in 99% of the most densely populated zip codes, as opposed to 91% of zip codes with the lowest population densities.

The comparatively lower population density of rural areas is likely the major reason why broadband is less deployed than in more highly populated suburban and urban areas. Particularly for wireline broadband technologies - such as cable modem and DSL - the greater the geographical distances among customers, the larger the cost to serve those customers. For example, in providing telecommunications services, investment per subscriber in rural systems averages $2,921 compared to $1,920 for urban.10 Thus, there is often less incentive for companies to invest in broadband in rural areas than, for example, in an urban area where there is more demand (more customers with perhaps higher incomes) and less cost to wire the market area.

The terrain of rural areas can also be a hindrance, in that it is more expensive to deploy broadband technologies in a mountainous or heavily forested area. An additional added cost factor for remote areas can be the expense of "backhaul" (e.g., the "middle mile") which refers to the installation of a dedicated line which transmits a signal to and from an Internet backbone which is typically located in or near an urban area.

Cable modem and DSL currently comprise over 60% of broadband deployment nationwide. However, because of the challenges of deploying these technologies in low population density areas, other broadband technologies have been identified as perhaps offering potential in rural areas. These include mobile wireless (cellular), fixed wireless (WIMAX, wi-fi), satellite, and broadband over powerlines (BPL).

Federal Activities

• 3/10/09 Bureaus Establish Comment Date for Report on Rural Broadband Strategy. Public Notice: Word | Acrobat Comments Due March 25. Report due to Congress May 22 2009.
  • Through this Public Notice, we seek comment on Congress's directive in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill) that the Chairman of the Commission develop, in consultation with the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, a comprehensive rural broadband strategy. Congress, this Commission, and the Secretary of Agriculture have repeatedly recognized the importance of ensuring accessto advanced telecommunications and information services to all Americans, with a special focus on rural and hard-to-serve areas. We now issue this Notice guided by Congress's recent requirement that the Commission develop a comprehensive national broadband plan. With a renewed focus on the importance of interagency and intergovernmental coordination, and with an ever-increasing understanding of the profound impacts of broadband services on the ways we communicate and of the importance of broadband to the future of our nation, we expect that the rural broadband strategy developed in this docket will inform our effort to develop a comprehensive national broadband plan pursuant to the Recovery Act.
  • Pub. L. 110-246, 122 Stat. 1651 (Jun. 18, 2008) (June 18, 2008 Bill).
  • American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Pub. L. No. 111-5, 123 Stat. 115 (2009) (Recovery Act).
• FCC USDA Rural Broadband Workshop
  • April 30, 2008: Blacksburg, Virginia ( view workshop presentations )
  • June 19, 2008: Saginaw, Michigan ( view workshop presentations )
  • September 18, 2008: Austin, Texas ( view workshop presentations )
  • November 20, 2008: Phoenix, Arizona ( view workshop presentations )
• Maximizing the Value of Broadband Services to Rural Communities: Hearing Before the Subcomm. on Rural and Urban Entrepreneurship of the H. Comm. on Small Business, 110th Cong. 52 (2007)
• GAO (Government Accounting Office) (2006). Broadband Deployment Is Extensive throughout the United States, but It Is Difficult to Assess the Extent of Deployment Gaps in Rural Areas. (GAO-06-426).
• ITU Launches New Development Initiative to Bridge the Digital Divide, ITU 6/15/2005
• Assistant Secretary Michael D. Gallagher spoke on "Promoting Broadband Deployment in Rural America" at the Governor's Agriculture and Rural Renewal Expo, Jackson, MS., NTIA 9/7/2004
• UN Meeting of the General Assembly devoted to information and communication technologies for development. [Press Release][List of Speakers 1 and 2][Media Advisory] UNICT Task Force Webpage [Webcast: Archived Video-Morning Meeting/2h43min]  [Webcast: Archived Video-Afternoon Meeting/2h37min]
• World Telecommunication Development Conference adopts comprehensive Action Plan to bridge the Digital Divide, ITU 4/1/02
• FCC COMMISSIONER KEVIN MARTIN ADDRESSES WORLD TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY, "SEIZING DIGITAL OPPORTUNITIES". Commissioner Kevin J. Martin addressed a special session of the 2002 World Telecommunication Development Conference in Istanbul, Turkey on "Bridging the Digital Divide.". News Release. News Media Contact: Emily Willeford at (202) 418-2100 CMMR DOC-220920A1.doc DOC-220920A1.pdf DOC-220920A1.txt, FCC 3/21/02
• Telecommunications: Federal and State Universal Service Programs and Challenges to Funding GAO-02-187 February 11 2002, GAO 2/13/02
• Statement on GAO report to Markey on Universal Service, February 11, 2002 , House 2/13/02
• May 24 The House Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform and Oversight and the Subcommittee on Rural Enterprises, Agriculture and Technology of the Committee on Small Business will hold a joint hearing titled Eliminating the Digital Divide - Who Will Wire Rural America?  10:00 am 2360 RHOB.
• ITU Launches a Multi-million Dollar Project to Bridge the Global Digital Divide, ITU 5/21/01
• Oct 30-31 Dept of Commerce's Networks for People 2000 Conference
• THE WHITE HOUSE  Office of the Press Secretary  For Immediate Release  April 4, 2000  THE CLINTON-GORE ADMINISTRATION:  A NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION TO CLOSE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
• DRAFT PROPOSAL OF THE ADMINISTRATION'S  HOME INTERNET ACCESS PROGRAM April 2000

Department of Education, Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-1999, January 2000.

• House Commerce Committee:  Thursday 9/30/99 10:00 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn House Office Building Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection hearing on H.R. 1746, Schools and Libraries Internet Access Act.
• In response to Inquiry from Rep. George W. Gekas, Chairman, House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, Commissioner Furchtgott-Roth Concludes that Schools and Libraries Program Likely Violates Recent D.C. Circuit Non-delegation Doctrine Decision, American Trucking v. EPA. 9/17/99 Memo
• Press Statement of Commissioner Furchtgott-Roth FCC Again Violates Statutory Mandate By Increasing E-Rate Tax While Delaying Implementation of High-Cost Program.May 27 1999
• Daschle Says FCC Chairman Pledges to Help Ensure High-Speed Internet Services Come to Rural America (June 11, 1999)
• Senator Dick Armey Letter to Ch Kennard (May 19, 1999)
• Ch Kennard Statement that there is enough money to lower phone bills and increase internet access. (May 17, 1999)

USG Digital Divide Reports

• Networked Nation: Broadband in America, 2007 , NTIA

• Federal Trade Commission, Municipal Provision of Wireless Internet (2006)

• A Nation Online: Entering the Broadband Age , NTIA 2004

• NTIA A NATION ONLINE: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the Internet Washington, D.C. February 2002

• Falling Through the Net, Toward Digital Inclusion , NTIA 2000
• Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide , NTIA 1999
• NTIA: Falling Through the Net II: New Data on the Digital Divide
  • NTIA Press Release:  NEW COMMERCE REPORT SHOWS DRAMATIC GROWTH IN NUMBER OF AMERICANS CONNECTED TO INTERNET July 8, 1999
• Falling Through the Net II , NTIA 1998
• Falling Through the Net , NTIA 1995
• NTIA's Digital Divide website (terminated by the Bush Administration)

Clinton, G-8 Create Digital Opportunity Task Force 24 July 2000

G8 IT Digital Opportunity Task force (dot force)

Final Report of the Digital Opportunity Task Force

Markle Foundation Dot Force Resource Page

Public Voice encouraging input to the DOT Task force

• Foundation allots $1 million for Net governance CNET Nov 1999

Definitions of Rural

• 47 CFR § 54.5: "Rural area. For purposes of the schools and libraries universal support mechanism, a "rural area" is a nonmetropolitan county or county equivalent, as defined in the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Revised Standards for Defining Metropolitan Areas in the 1990s and identifiable from the most recent Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) list released by OMB, or any contiguous non-urban Census Tract or Block Numbered Area within an MSA-listed metropolitan county identified in the most recent Goldsmith Modification published by the Office of Rural Health Policy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For purposes of the rural health care universal service support mechanism, a "rural area" is an area that is entirely outside of a Core Based Statistical Area; is within a Core Based Statistical Area that does not have any Urban Area with a population of 25,000 or greater; or is in a Core Based Statistical Area that contains an Urban Area with a population of 25,000 or greater, but is within a specific census tract that itself does not contain any part of a Place or Urban Area with a population of greater than 25,000. "Core Based Statistical Area" and "Urban Area" are as defined by the Census Bureau and "Place" is as identified by the Census Bureau."
• 7 CFR § 1739.3 RUS Broadband Grants "Rural Area means any area, as verified by the latest decennial census of the Bureau of the Census or the latest edition of the Rand McNally Atlas, which is not located within the boundaries of any incorporated or unincorporated city, village, or borough having a population in excess of 20,000 inhabitants."
• 7 CFR § 1738.2 RUS Broadband Loans " Eligible rural community is defined in the RE Act as any area of the United States that is not contained in an incorporated city or town with a population in excess of 20,000 inhabitants. For purposes of this part, RUS interprets: (1) "United States" to include its territories and insular possessions (including the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau); (2) "Area" to mean any identifiable place that has no more than 20,000 inhabitants based on the most recent available information of the Bureau of the Census; and (3) "An incorporated city or town with a population in excess of 20,000 inhabitants" to mean any incorporated city or town with a population in excess of 20,000 inhabitants based on the most recent available information of the Bureau of the Census."

Volunteers

• Volunteerism Online - Trend grows along with access, Broadband Reports 8/28/2006
• Internet latest forum for volunteer work, Inside Bay 8/28/2006
• UN Online Volunteering Service, UN 8/28/2006

Papers

United States / Rural Broadband

• Lynne Holt and Mary Galligan, State and Federal Policies to Accelerate Broadband Deployment: A Policy Checklist, 17 Commlaw Conspectus 141 (2009)
• The Rural Broadband Initiative: Deploying Next-Generation Broadband Service to Rural America, Digital Policy Institute, Ball State University Jan. 5, 2009
• Brian Dadson, Jennifer Keller , Rural Broadband, RUPRI (Dec. 8, 2008)
• Robert LaRose, Jennifer Gregg, Sharon Strover, Joseph Staubhaar, Nobuya Inagaki, Closing the Rural Broadband Gap, Final Technical Report (Nov. 30, 2008)
• Strover, S., Straubhaar, J., LaRose, R., & Gregg, J. (2008). The value of broadband in rural U.S. Sept 28. Telecommunication Policy Research Conference George Mason College of Law Arlington VA
• Peha, Jon M. Bringing Broadband to Unserved Communities. Discussion Paper 2008-10, The Brookings Institution, The Hamilton Project. July 2008.
• Economics of Broadband Access for Underserved Consumers and Businesses, Public Technology Institute (May 2007)
• Ford, George S., Koutsky, Thomas M. and Spiwak, Lawrence J.,The Burden of Network Neutrality Mandates on Rural Broadband Deployment (July 2006). Phoenix Center Policy Paper No. 25.
• LaRose, R., Gregg, J. L., Strover,S., Straubhaar, J. & Carpenter, S. (2007). Closing the rural broadband gap: Promoting adoption of the Internet in rural America. Telecommunications Policy, 31, (6-7), 359-373.
• LaRose, R., Gregg, J., Strover, S., & Straubhaar, J. (2007). Understanding online social support in rural America: Strengthening social ties or promoting out-migration? Poster presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, San Francisco, California, May 24-28.
• RURAL MARYLAND COUNCIL, 2020 RURAL PROSPERITY INVESTMENT INITIATIVE (2006)
• Exploring the Digital Divide Regional Differences in Patterns of Internet Use in the United States Volume I: Surveying the Divide, U Texas 9/21/2004
• Ruiz, A. (2004). Broadband Internet and rural America. The role of government in providing un-served communities with advanced telecommunications services. University of Southern California, Santa Barbara Washington Center.
• Dr. Sharon Strover, Gary Chapman, Dr. Jody Waters , Beyond Community Networking and CTCs: Access, Development and Public Policy, TPRC 9/13/03
• Heather Hudson,
  • Bridging the Broadband Divide: Strategies for Rural and Developing Regions, TPRC 9/13/03
  • Economic and Social Benefits of Rural Telecommunications: A Report to the World Bank
  • From Northern Village to Global Village: Rural Communications in Alaska
• Benjamin M. Compaine , Revisiting Cost and Affordability Assumptions for High Speed Data Services in Low Population Density Locations, TPRC 9/13/03
• Rural technology deployment and access: successes upon which to build, Pages 85-93 Bob Rowe, Govt Info Quarterly 6/16/03
• The prospects for broadband deployment in rural America, Pages 95-106 Sharon Strover, Govt Info Quarterly 6/16/03
• Creating demand: influencing information technology diffusion in rural communities, Pages 135-150 C. Ann Hollifield and Joseph F. Donnermeyer, Govt Info Quarterly 6/16/03
• Keil, M., Meader, G. W., & Kvasny, L.Bridging the Digital Divide: The Story of the Free Internet Initiative in LaGrange, Georgia (2003).
• Local governments and universities cooperate to expand broadband telecom services: the broadband regional affiliation for managed planning (B-RAMP) and the Michigan State University site for information and telecommunication experimentation (M-SITE), Pages 167-176 Ronald G. Choura, Ronald K. Siegel, Jr. , Thomas A. Muth and Mark R. Levy, Govt Info Quarterly 6/16/03
• Strover, S. The prospects for broadband deployment in rural America.  Government Information Quarterly, 20 (2), 95-106.  (2003).
• The Prospects for Broadband Deployment in Rural America, TPRC 9/18/02
• W.K. KELLOGG FOUND., PERCEPTIONS OF RURAL AMERICA: NATIONAL STATE LEGISLATOR SURVEY (2002)
• Perceptions of Risks, Benefits, and Costs in Community Technology Center Participants' Constructions of Information and Communication Technologies, TPRC 9/18/02
• Curt Stamp, Note, Left Behind: The Lack of Advanced Telecommunications Services in Rural America and Its Strain on Rural Communities-Policy Options for Closing the Digital Divide, 7 DRAKE J. AGRIC. L. 645 (2002)
• Does the Digital Divide Still Exist? Bush Administration Shrugs, But Evidence Says "Yes", 5/30/2002, CFA 5/31/02
• John Horrigan, Cities, Cyberspace, and Social Capital: How Five U.S. Cities Are Adapting to the Internet.  Pew Internet and American Life Project, (2001).
• Lentz R.G., & Oden, M. D. (2001). Digital divide or digital opportunity in the Mississippi Delta region of the US. Telecommunications Policy, 25 (5): 291-313.
• Parker, E. Closing the digital divide in rural America. Telecommunications Policy 24 (2001)
• The Internet and Community Networks: Case Studies of Five U.S. Cities Authors: John B. Horrigan Comments: 29th TPRC Conference
• Ben Compaine, The Digital Divide: Facing a Crisis or Creating a Myth? TPRC 2000
• Abbott, E. A., & Gregg, J. L. (2000). What happens when information technologies are forced on rural community organizations? The case of Iowa State University extension. In Korsching, P. F., Hipple, P. C., & Abbott, E. A. (eds.) Having all the right connections: Telecommunications and rural viability (pp. 229-256). Westport, CT: Praeger.
• FCC to Sen. Stevens: No New ISP Tax!, Boardwatch (June 1998).

International / Digital Divide

• Financing Information and Communication Infrastructure Needs in the Developing World: Public and Private Roles, World Bank 3/4/2005
• Chinn and Fairlie, Econometric Analyses: The Determinants of the Global digital Divide (2004), Yale 3/2/2005
• March Warschauer, Technology and Social Inclusion: Rethinking the Digital Divide, MIT Press (2003), 3/2/2005
• Policy Reform, Economic Growth, and the Digital Divide:An Econometric Analysis (March 28, 2001), World Bank 2/22/2005
• Special Report: Bridging the Digital Divide (2000), World Bank 2/22/2005
• Bridging the Digital Divide: How Enterprise Ownership and Foreign Competition Affect Internet Access in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (1999), World Bank 2/22/2005
• Heather Hudson, Investing in Infrastructure: Increasing Internet Access in the Developing World, TPRC 10/2/2004
• Digital Divide: Where To Go From Here, Kaiser 9/21/2004
• Chinn, M. and R. Fairlie. 2004. The Determinants of the Global Digital Divide. Cambridge, Mass.: National Bureau of Economic Research.
• Karen Mossberger, Caroline J. Tolbert , Race, Place, and Information Technology, TPRC 9/13/03
• The multiple dimensions of the digital divide: more than the technology `haves' and `have nots', Pages 185-191 John Carlo Bertot, Govt Info Quarterly 6/16/03
• Connected to the Future: A Report on Children's Internet Use, Corporation for Public Broadcasting (2002)
• Exploring the Future of the Digital Divide through Ethnographic Futures Research by Matthew M. Mitchell, First Monday 11/20/02
• "Spanning the Digital Divide" Bridges.org
• Second-Level Digital Divide: Differences in People's Online Skills 2002. First Monday. 7(4) Eszter Hargittai
• Stanford University: Digital Divide
• National Center for Education Statistics released a new report on Internet Access in US Public Schools and Classrooms 1999-2000 in May 2001
• Dasgupta, S., S. Lall and D. Wheeler. 2001. “Policy Reform, Economic Growth, and the Digital Divide: An Econometric Analysis.” World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 2567. World Bank, Washington, DC.
• Hoffman, D., T. Novak and A. Venkatesh, Diversity on the Internet:  The relationship of race to access and usage.  Investing in diversity:  Advancing opportunities for minorities and the media.  Report of the Aspen Institute Forum (1998)

Webcasts & Podcasts

• W: Bridging the Gender Digital Divide through Training (2004), World Bank 2/22/2005

News

• Digitally Divided in an Age of Online Civic Participation, Save the Internet 6/30/2008
• Microsoft opens digital divide conference, CW 4/18/2007
• UN, tech leader discuss 'digital divide', America's Network 3/1/2007
• Your Guide to the Digital Divide, PBS 1/23/2007
• Hispanic and black children lag behind in use of Internet, Star Telegram 9/2/2006
• Digital divide separates students, CNN 9/2/2006
• Hispanic and black children lag behind in use of Internet, Star Telegram 9/2/2006
• Negroponte: Laptop for Every Kid, DDN 11/22/2005
• Volunteer call for the tech-savvy, BBC 11/1/2005
• Crossing the Digital Divide, emarketer 11/1/2005
• Digital Divide Continues To Plague U.S., Newsfactor 11/1/2005
• The $100 laptop, Susan Crawford 10/5/2005
• Can ICT help to improve social conditions in the world?, ElearningEuropa 7/22/2005
• UN task force calls for more political will to bridge 'digital divide', UN 7/8/2005
• Bringing the Net to India's masses, IHT 6/15/2005
• Digital divide project finds evidence that computers at home improve high school graduation rates, DDN 4/11/2005
• Philadelphia expands Wi-Fi citywide, MSNBC 4/8/2005
• Group plans to put $100 laptops in hands of poor, Globe and Mail 4/5/2005
• Magic Johnson Technology Center, DDN 4/1/2005
• Bridging the Digital Divide: Council Pushes for Better Access to Technology in Low-Income Housing, DDN 3/25/2005
• Internet Fiesta to give thousands first access to Internet, Tectonic 3/18/2005
• Grant to help bridge technology gap, DDN 3/9/2005
• Global digital divide 'narrowing', BBC 2/25/2005
• Sustaining Community Access to Technology: Who should pay and why!, UNDP 2/22/2005
• Bridging the digital divide, UNDP 2/18/2005
• Poor left stranded by digital divide, Register 2/15/2005
• UN official calls for 'walking-distance' access to communication technologies for every African, UNDP 2/11/2005
• South Florida School District Donates Computers to Low-Income Families, DDN 1/4/2005
• Rural Digital Divide to be Bridged, DDN 12/21/2004
• Reinventing Community Networks as Economic Development Solutions, Lone Eagle 9/10/2004
• At $250, a PC That Aims To Connect World's Poor, Ecommerce 8/18/2004
• Program Bridges Digital Divide for Urban Poor, Wash Post 8/9/2004
• Bridging the global computer divide, BBC 3/15/2004
• Deadly Mob Australia: Indigenous mentoring project set up in NT, ABC 2/26/2004
• dEadly mOb, DM 2/26/2004
• The Digital Dirt Road Divide, Cyberatlas 2/24/2004
• growing Demand for Rural Broadband and the Growing Digital Network, ComTechReview 2/18/2004
• Addressing Gaps in Internet Content and Access: New Research, Guidelines, and Legislation, ComTechReview 2/18/2004
• Rural Areas and the Internet, Pew Internet 2/18/2004
• New digital divide pits the more adept against the 'dummies', IHT 2/5/2004
• Discord at digital divide talks, BBC 9/29/03
• Cut down web for digitally deprived, BBC 7/30/03
• Information On-Ramp Crosses a Digital Divide, NY Times 7/8/03
• Net equality could be years away, BBC 6/27/03
• Wireless Net may aid poor nations, CNN 6/27/03
• Digital divide 'hits rural business', BBC 5/9/03
• Net spurned by 25% of Americans, BBC 4/17/03
• Internet not a necessity for some, CNET 4/17/03
• Many Americans Still Aren't Going Online, Wash Post 4/17/03
• The Ever-Shifting Internet Population: A new look at Internet access and the digital divide, Pew 4/17/03
• Paper: Research note: Across the United States, 85,000 to 144,000 public computing sites, First Monday 4/9/03
• Study: 'Digital divide' shrinking, CNN 3/21/03
• Study: 'Digital divide' shrinking, CNN 3/21/03
• The Blind of Ethiopia Gain Access to ICTs, ITU 3/12/03
• Bridging the divide, USA Today 3/5/03
• UN panel examines boosting information, communication technologies in Africa, UN 10/1/02
• Rural Communities Lay Own Data Pipe for High-Speed Internet, Newsfactor 7/31/02
• 'Digital Divide' Narrows, Wash Post 7/1/02
• U.N. says "digital divide still yawns", CNET 6/20/02
• U.N. says "digital divide still yawns", CNET 6/20/02
• Report: "Digital divide" still an issue, CNET 5/31/02
• Indian children use cyber cafes to get online, Wash Tech 5/22/02
• Digital Divide Lives, Wash Tech 4/22/02
• Global Telephone Access Improves As Internet Gap Widens, ITU 3/21/02
• What digital divide?, CNET 3/13/02
• Digital Divisions Split Town And Country, BBC 3/4/02
• Virginia City of Bristol to Serve as ISP, Internet News 2/8/02
• As Digital Divide Diminishes, E-Commerce Might Not Benefit, Newsfactor 12/18/01
• U.N. to combat poverty with technology, CNET 11/23/01
• UN launches information technology venture to build 'digital bridges' to world's poor, UN 11/23/01
• Brazil plans to install Internet booths in post offices, Nando 11/7/01
• Ford Ends Its Employee Computer Giveaway, LATimes 10/22/01
• Houston plans to make computing a right, Nando 8/22/01
• Houston To Offer All Citizens Free Internet Access, Washtech 8/22/01
• Pew Report on Hispanic Use of Internet, Pew 7/27/01
• G8 Leaders Endorse Digital Divide Action Plan, IDG 7/24/01
• Charity Puts Old Computers To Work, AP 07/10/01
• Michael Powell's Mercedes Divide by Larry Irving, Wash Post 7/2/01
• CDT, Internews Form Coalition To Fight Digital Divide, Washtech 7/6/01
• EU Agrees to Bring Internet to Every Home, Washtech 6/28/01
• Report urges world leaders not to ignore digital divide, Newsbytes 6/4/01
• G8 Nations Mull Digital Divide Task-Force Report, Washtech 6/4/01
• Poor students digitally divided, USAToday 5/11/01
• Skilled but stranded grads of digital divide programs, SF Gate 4/23/01
• Digital Divide Funds Drying Up, SF Chronicle 4/23/01
• Digital Divide Growing For Latin America - Report, Newsbytes 4/16/01
• Congressman Vows To Fight Cuts To Tech Grants, Washtech 4/7/01
• Bridging The Digital Divide, BBC 3/19/01
• Bush Worries Some E-Rate Proponents, NYT 2/28/01
• Brazil Thinks Basic To Bridge Digital Divide, NYT 2/12/01
• Global Digital Divide Still Exists Jan 24 internet
• Third World Threatened By Digital Divide Jan 24 +.shtml boston
• Study Predicts End Of Digital Divide Jan 12, 2001 washtech
• Europe: Less Users, Greater Divide Than US Nov 24, 2000 nua
• Clinton Appoints Three to digital Opportunity Task Force Nov 24, 2000 washtech
• Study: Digital Divide Is Disappearing Nov 2, 2000 zdnet
• At MIT, A Division On The Divide Oct 20, 2000 wired
• 95 Percent Of Public Schools Now Net-Connected - Report Newsbytes 9/11
• Lower-Income internet Households Moving Online Aug 22, 2000 internet
• At MIT, A Division On The Divide Oct 20, 2000 wired
• The Digital Divide Oct 19, 2000 thestar
• 10/19/2000 - Secretary Mineta Takes "Digital Inclusion" Tour to Western U.S. Oct 19, 2000 osec
• White House Hails Narrowing Of 'Digital Divide' Oct 16, 2000 newsbytes
• Statement by the President: Digital Divide (10/16/00) Oct 16, 2000 whitehouse
• Commerce Secretary Mineta Releases Report Finding Progress on Digital Inclusion  osec
• Report: U.S. Digital Divide Melting Away Aug 22, 2000 ecommercetimes
• Commerce chief takes on digital divide USAToday Aug 11
• Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information outlines digital divide problem NTIA Aug 9
• The Digital Divide Myth Aug 4, 2000 ecommercetimes
• Closing in on the Digital Divide abcnews July 28, 2000 abcnews
• Death Of A Digital Divide Bridge July 20, 2000 wired
• Action Urged On Digital Divide July 20, 2000 nytimes
• U.N., global finance agencies take on worldwide digital divide July 7, 2000 nandotimes
• Digital Divide More Economic than Ethnic CyberAtlas 6/16
• Digital Divide Evident in Australia NUA 6/15
• Digital Divide May Narrow by 2005 The Standard 6/15
• Income Is Connecting the Wired Digital divide by race is starting to shorten, study finds SF Gate 6/15
• Boston takes the lead in closing the digital divide Boston.com 6/15
• Clinton wants information superhighway routed to poor regions NAndotimes 6/5
• Supreme Court Leaves E-Rate Unchallenged Newsbytes 5/31
• HOW FREE COMPUTERS ARE FILLING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE, ADAM D. THIERER, Heritage Foundation
• GOP Tax cut for digital divide Newsbytes 4/25
• Digital Divide part 1: Clinton tries to subtract from the Divide Red Herring 4/21
• Clinton seeks suture for digital divide NandoTimes 4/19
• Clinton Uses High-Tech Show to Push Plan for Internet Parity  NY Times 4/19
• Clinton Brings Crusade to Comdex Newsbytes 4/18
• Shrinking the digital divide Upside 4/18
• Why Clinton is All Wet About the Digital Divide ZDNet 4/18
• The Digital Divide Narrows ABC News 4/18
• Clinton: Tech companies give $100M for 'digital divide' ZDNet 4/18
• The Digital Divide is Bunk ZDNet 4/17
• Clinton begins 'digital divide' trip ZDNet 4/17
• Clinton Proposes Telecom Tax Hike For Universal Service  Newsbytes 4/17
• Study: Digital Divide Not Race-Based ECommerce Times 4/17
• Clinton announces grants to improve telecommunications services for the poor  NandoTimes 4/17
• Clinton Counts E-Rate As Digital Divide Tonic  NewsBytes 4/14
• Digital Divide: It's Money, Not Race - Study  Newsbytes 4/14
• Clinton Takes Off On Digital Divide Trip  Newsbytes 4/14
• Digital Divide Still Apparent in Europe NUA 4/13
• Clinton plans Comdex speech on digital divide  (April 18) SunTimes 4/7
• Tax credit for rural broadband proposed Yahoo 3/22
• Georgia City Offers Free Cable Internet Access  InternetNews 3/22
• Small Cities May Get High-Speed Web Yahoo 3/22
• Town crosses 'digital divide' with TV-based service  C|NET 3/22
• Net Doesn't Help Low-Income Americans, Study Says 3/17
• Digital Divide Involves Content, Not Access - Report NewsBytes 3/16
• Center in Capital Called a Success in Spanning the Technology Gap NYTimes 2/11
• Washington Catches Digital Divide in Net Newsbytes 2/7
• Clinton Hopes To Span The 'Digital Divide' - Report  Newsbytes 2/4
• Clinton works to mend digital divide  NandoTimes 2/4
• Proposal: $2B to bridge 'digital divide' USAToday 2/4
• Clinton: 'Internet in Every Hut'  Wired 2/4
• Greedy clicks  Salon 2/4
• Clinton Proposes Funds to Bridge 'Digital Divide' Excite 2/4
• Jackson:  Education can close divide ZDNET 2/4
• Pilot Program Shows How 'Digital Divide' Might Close Excite  2/3
• Clinton:  We must close the digital divide ZDNet 01/28/00
• Clinton touches on "digital divide" in address C|NET 01/28/00
• Clinton Takes Aim at Digital Divide USA Today 01/28/00
• Clinton wants $100M for 'digital divide' Subsidies could help up to 9 million poor households get online USAToday 1/21
• A Family Bridges the 'Digital Divide' Washington Post 01/04/00
• The Other Divide  Industry Standard 01/04/00
• Valley of the Digital Divide The Industry Standard 1/10/00
• Feds Earmark $12.5M To Bridge 'Digital Divide' E Commerce Times 01/06/00
• Waging A Digital War on Poverty The Industry Standard 12/22/99
• Planet Web: Global Divide Internet Standard 12/21/99
• Developing nations want better net access BBC 12/2
• Why the digital divide is your problem too ZDNet 11/3/99
• FYI: Net access high in U.S. Star Tribute 10/06
• Adam Clayton Powell, Falling for the Gap, Whatever happened to the  "digital divide" Reason (November 1999)
• Teachers see major obstacles to wiring schools C|NET 9/28/99
• 'Digital divide' gets wide outside U.S. ZDNET 9/20/99
• 'Digital Divide' Goes Beyond Internet Access Excite 9/20/99
• Appeals Court Upholds E-Rate WIRED 8/1/99
• Federal appeals court upholds Internet subsidy program Techserv 8/1/99
• High-Speed Access Just a Dream for Many Americans InternetNews July 28
• Net hubs lacking in rural pockets USA Today July 27 1999
• Study: High-speed Net bypasses rural areas   C|NET 7/27
• Internet not reaching rural areas Lexington Herald Leader 7/15/99
• Digital Divide Newsweek July 14 1999
• NAACP, AT&T take on 'digital divide' USA Today July 14 1999
• Tech widening gap between rich, poor USA Today July 12 1999
• Panelists Debate Merits Of Wired Schools Teckweb July 1 1999
• Study: Digital divide persists C|NET July 8 1999
• Rural America wants to move at Net speed C|NET June 11 1999
• Report: Digital divide not so deep C|NET April 11

Digital Divide Links

• Americans for a Digital Bridge
• Benton Foundation Universal Service Library
• Bridges.org
• Cable in the Classrooms Online Website
• Community Technology Centers Network
• Connected Nation  
• Connect Kentucky
• Cyber InfoDev (India)
• Department of Education ED Technology Digital Divide
• Digital Divide Network
• Edlink (Education and Library Networks Coalition)
• Global Technology Corps (USA)
• HUD Neighborhood Networks
• International Institute for Communication and Development IICD
• ISOC Digital Divide
• Massachusetts DTE 1996 Telecommunications Act (Universal Service) Home Page
• Media Access Project: Promoting Access to New Media
• National Cable and Television Association Cable and Education Web Site (bad link.
• National Center for Education Statistics Codes (service control number)
• Netaid
• One Economy " One Economy is a national non-profit organization created to be a catalyst for innovation and change. We help bring access to technology into the homes of low-income people around the country. We use that technology to connect low-income people to information and tools they can use to build assets and improve their lives."

• The Beehive is the pride and joy of the One Economy Corporation. One Economy is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. We created the Beehive to be the place to go for information and resources around the things that matter in our lives: money, health, jobs, school and family. And, we'd like you to have a little fun while you're here so, we're throwing in some games and quizzes to keep it interesting.

• PBS Report on the Digital Divide TV Show to premier Jan 28 2000
• PowerUP
• TechSoup
• UCLA The Digital Divide: A Resource List
• World Bank

Digital Divide

The Information for Development Program

TechNet

The Universal Service Fund ListServs

• Michigan Information Network: minwg-share
• Michigan Department of Education: mdetechplan

Digital Divide Programs and Community Networks

• APPA Community Broadband Legal and Regulatory Challenges
• Appalachian Center for Economic Networks ACENET
• Association for Community Networks
• Building Community Technology Partners
• California Community Technology Policy Group
• Canarie
• Center for Appalachian Network Access
• Champaign – Urbana Community Wireless Network CUWiN (Wireless)
• CivicNet Chicago
• Community Access Programs Canada
• Community Connector
• Community Connects  "The America Connects Consortium is a collaboration of eight partners and allied organizations, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, who are working together to bring information, training, technical assistance, public attention, and new resources to community technology centers across the country. "
• Community Technology Review
• Digital Divide Network
• DrishTree Connecting India Village by Village
• ECOSOC's ICT Web Site
• eVantage Ohio : Ohio's Broadband Initiative " to train small businesses in the use of e-commerce . in cooperation with Ohio's Small Business Development Center network." See Governor Announces Broadband Initiative
• FreePress.org
• Georgia Public Web
• GlobalCN
• Heavens
• Indiana Community Network Association.
• InfoDev - The Information for Development Program
• LEARN: Lonestar Education and Research Network
• Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network
• Making the Grade
• NetDay
• Northwest Open Access Network (NoaNet) Grant County, WA
• Oregon Public Networking
The Case for Community Networking
• PerScholas
• Smartschools PC Day
• Telecommunity Resource Center
• Texas Telecom
• United Nations

Information Technology Service

Information and Communications Technologies Task Force

UNDP Information and Communications Technology