Wednesday, February 16, 2005

What should the government do about digital divides?

After looking at all these government reports on various digital divides, I am curious as to what people think the US government should actually do about it. This is, of course, assuming that you think it is the government's role to do anything at all.

I suppose my fantasy situation would involve making Internet access a utility like electricity or water, available to everyone for a reasonable monthly fee. Perhaps the government could cast a wireless Internet blanket across the entire country! Then all computer owners in both urban and rural areas could enjoy the same level of high-speed access.

However, I realize that most Americans do not support government regulated industries and many would not trust an Internet service that could be under the eye of Big Brother. My fantasy scenario also would not solve the problem of divides based on computer ownership rather than Internet access or connection speed.

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