1. Digital Divide Draft Sept 19

2. Digital Divide

3. Definition - Digital Divide

4. Some Haves and Some Have Nots Internet Services Broad Band at Affordable Costs Access to WEB Services Freedom from Monitoring Freedom from Crime Legal Structure that supports Internet commerce

5. Internet Services At work At School At home

6. Broad Band at Affordable Costs At Work –Permits access to world market to supply WEB Services Product Designs Low Cost Voice At School, especially at the university –Permits cooperative research –Allows Access to Open Courseware Initiatives At home –May be unmonitored access

7. Technical Access is insufficient Estimate that up to 75% of companies practice keystroke monitoring Some countries block worldwide Internet at the border

8. Why the Digital Divide

9. Rapid Growth of Broadband in rich and economically growth oriented countries US has target of universal broadband access by 2007 China has had high speed infrastructure plan for a decade Hong Kong has had a plan to be high speed feed for Asian area since the mid- 1990's

10. Large Population Growth over next decade in poor countries Poor areas focus on food, medicine before Internet Internet infrastructure requires –Wide Area Interconnect –Last Mile facilities –Computers for individuals –Appropriate Training starting at elementary level and lasting through college

11. Opportunities of the Information Societies

12. India High Tech Commercial Growth Supported by (7) India Institutes of Technologies, National Centers for Software Technology Universities started in 1951 Commercial Investments such as IT design center in Bangalore in early 1970's Shipping bits by satellite link easier than shipping physical products and higher value Significant migration of work from US to India

13. Result Higher Paying jobs –Employees of off shore companies earn 8 times or more than employees of local companies Opportunity to Travel Motivation Opportunity to market World Wide

14. Problems of the Digital Divide

15. Actions to Improve the Situation

16. Demonstrate to Rich Societies The cost of poor nations –Increased pollution –Higher energy cost per person than for efficient societies The value of economically growing societies –Lower Pollution –Lower energy cost per person –Become customers

17. Subsidize items that lead to self sufficiency Infrastructure Technical Assistance Offer scholarships to US universities International Connection