Harsha Alles, Mike Carroll, Stacey Lee, and John Wu

 Divide is in US, not only global  Technology advancing faster  Harder to stay updated ◦ Especially elderly  Younger people are learning technology  Speed of technology increase is making the divide larger and larger

 Areas with larger ratios of computers per people: ◦ North America ◦ Europe ◦ China ◦ Australia  Areas with considerably smaller ratios: o Most parts of Africa o Southern Asia

 One Laptop per Child Program (OLPC) ◦ Supported by multinational companies, such as Google, AMD, and eBay, ◦ OLPC aims to provide children in developing countries with durable machines. ◦ These sub-notebooks are intended to promote learning. Steps to Overcome the Digital Divide The laptop used by this program costs $100-$200 USD and is said to last for a minimum of 5 years.

 Geekcorps ◦ Sends people to developing countries to improve their computing ◦ development and infrastructure.  USAID ◦ Provides funds for developing countries to purchase technology  UN ◦ Information Society Day (May 17)

 US govt ◦ Recovery Act: Broadband Initiative ◦ E-rate Program  subsidies to schools and libraries in mostly poor areas to purchase telecom and internet access  Various other non-profits