This article was originally published in the August 1999 edition of Nonprofits & Technology © 1999 Philanthropy News Network

Tech Gap Widens Based on Race, Income, Locale WHILE TECHNOLOGY IS CRITICAL TO AMERICAN COMPETITIVENESS in a global economy, minorities, poor people and rural residents in the U.S. are falling further behind whites, wealthy people and urban residents in their access to technology, a report says. "While we know that Americans are more connected to digital tools than ever before, the report provides evidence that the 'digital divide' between certain demographic groups and regions of our country continues to persist and in many cases is widening significantly," says Commerce Secretary William Daley. "We should be alarmed by this news." For the U.S. to continue as a leader in the global economy, he says, everyone must have access to the telecommunications tools that will shape business in the future. The new Commerce Department report finds that households with incomes of more than $75,000 are more than 20 times as likely to have Internet access as those at the lowest income level, and more than nine times as likely to have a computer at homes. Data also shows that the gaps in access to the Internet have widened between white and black households, and between white and Hispanic households. Those gaps are more than six percentage points higher than they were in 1994, says the report "Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide." White households are twice as likely as black and Hispanic households to own a computer. Disregarding income, those in rural areas consistently lag behind those living in urban areas, the report says. Data from the report came from the census bureau's December 1998 reports. "These findings highlight the need for continued efforts to connect all Americans, says Larry Irving, assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information. "The data also underscore the need for community access centers." The Benton Foundation and the AOL Foundation recently announced that they are teaming up to create an online clearinghouse for research, initiatives and resources that address the problem of the "digital divide" in America.