“Increasingly, we are a country in which only the urban and suburban well-off have truly high-speed Internet access, while the rest — the poor and the working class — either cannot afford access or use restricted wireless access as their only connection to the Internet,” Susan P. Crawford writes in her Dec. 13 New York Times opinion. “As our jobs, entertainment, politics and even health care move online, millions are at risk of being left behind.”
In other words, it’s no longer enough simply to access the web.
The subject came up again this week during #DFMChat on Twitter. From 9 to 10 a.m. each Wednesday, MediaNews Group editors engage in dialog about increasingly-digital journalism. Their comments can be followed by viewers via a search for posts using that tag.
Martin G. Reynolds, @reynoldspost, senior editor of community engagement for Bay Area News Group, responded to a question about how the “digital first” emphasis can help journalism: “Digital media empowers community to engage, but it can leave certain constituencies out of the conversation.”
My recent experience corroborated the need for reliable high-speed Internet; earlier that week I attempted to post links to articles on a Facebook page that I curate and the task of linking five stories took more than 20 minutes to complete.
When it comes to high-speed Internet access, Lake County residents have few options that have less to do with socioeconomic status and more to do with limitations of available infrastructure.
My family’s first Internet provider in Lake County refused to market Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) access to Lake County residents, even though it made this option available to customers in other areas. My family and I switched to the first provider that was willing to give us DSL. But even DSL and cable can have limitations during peak demand. And many more people — especially in rural areas — still have dial-up telephone connections.
The digital divide is also a concern with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which proposes to reform and modernize its Lifeline phone-access program to promote digital information literacy. Its National Broadband Plan proposes to build a “world-leading broadband infrastructure” according to Chairman Julius Genachowski in remarks dated Jan. 9.
In other words, it’s no longer enough simply to access the web.
The subject came up again this week during #DFMChat on Twitter. From 9 to 10 a.m. each Wednesday, MediaNews Group editors engage in dialog about increasingly-digital journalism. Their comments can be followed by viewers via a search for posts using that tag.
Martin G. Reynolds, @reynoldspost, senior editor of community engagement for Bay Area News Group, responded to a question about how the “digital first” emphasis can help journalism: “Digital media empowers community to engage, but it can leave certain constituencies out of the conversation.”
My recent experience corroborated the need for reliable high-speed Internet; earlier that week I attempted to post links to articles on a Facebook page that I curate and the task of linking five stories took more than 20 minutes to complete.
When it comes to high-speed Internet access, Lake County residents have few options that have less to do with socioeconomic status and more to do with limitations of available infrastructure.
My family’s first Internet provider in Lake County refused to market Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) access to Lake County residents, even though it made this option available to customers in other areas. My family and I switched to the first provider that was willing to give us DSL. But even DSL and cable can have limitations during peak demand. And many more people — especially in rural areas — still have dial-up telephone connections.
The digital divide is also a concern with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which proposes to reform and modernize its Lifeline phone-access program to promote digital information literacy. Its National Broadband Plan proposes to build a “world-leading broadband infrastructure” according to Chairman Julius Genachowski in remarks dated Jan. 9.
Genachowski projects “universal broadband deployment by the end of the decade” via the Connect America Fund.
In a statement of support, the American Library Association lauds “the Commission’s continued commitment to digital literacy training in order to bolster broadband adoption in the United States.”
Libraries have traditionally served to bridge information divides, which is one of the reasons that I advocate generous support for libraries. My first Internet access was through terminals at the Sonoma State University library; today as a volunteer for the Lake County Library I observe people using Internet connections that are offered through our local libraries.
To view Genachowski’s remarks and the ALA’s statement, visit http://networkedblogs.com/swnag.
As our society continues to address the need for broadband connectivity, my only concern is that these changes keep abreast with advances in technology.
More and more public assistance programs require applications to be submitted online. The end of the decade is a long time to wait when connectivity is needed now.
In a statement of support, the American Library Association lauds “the Commission’s continued commitment to digital literacy training in order to bolster broadband adoption in the United States.”
Libraries have traditionally served to bridge information divides, which is one of the reasons that I advocate generous support for libraries. My first Internet access was through terminals at the Sonoma State University library; today as a volunteer for the Lake County Library I observe people using Internet connections that are offered through our local libraries.
To view Genachowski’s remarks and the ALA’s statement, visit http://networkedblogs.com/swnag.
As our society continues to address the need for broadband connectivity, my only concern is that these changes keep abreast with advances in technology.
More and more public assistance programs require applications to be submitted online. The end of the decade is a long time to wait when connectivity is needed now.
Published Jan. 17, 2012 in the Lake County Record-Bee
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