The Digital Divide.........Why are we so behind

Alright I've got another issue. So I'm dragging out the soapbox again in an attempt to talk this topic out. I came across this article a few days ago, talking about the worlds most connected countries. Business Week magazine published their rankings of the countries with the best broadband capabilities. We as Americans (with our arrogant selves) more than likely expect to be in the top three or at least the top 5 on the list. Well we came in an incredulous 15th ranking. Come on 15, we created the damn internet and we are ranked 15, what happened. Well the article made the statement that "The U.S. fell further in the rankings. Experts say that's at least in part because high-speed connections are a lot more expensive in the U.S. than elsewhere. U.S. users pay more than 10 times the amount being paid by users in countries with the highest rates of broadband penetration." Why is it a technology that is so easy for other countries to provide for its citizens (AT A LOW COST) we can't make available for all its citizens. The say free markets and competition will drive down the cost the computers and broadband access. That is not happening here in the United States fast enough. For some reason Nordic countries have their act together, but here unless you are middle class and up or have access to a public library, you as a citizen will be with the capability to access the internet, develop experience needed to get the most basic of computer problem research and solving skills needed for most low paying entry level positions, or to keep in touch with relatives family and friends without a cell phone or stamp.

It all comes back to taking care of everyone, not just the privileged few who have the resources to subscribe to your overpriced internet service which has many features that the majority of its users don’t use, don’t need and don’t want. Some people say there is too much government, well when it comes to the digital divide and providing equal opportunity to all, I say there isn’t enough government. The city of brotherly love, Philadelphia has the right idea to provide free Wi-Fi service in to its citizens. The city currently has a pilot project that will provide Wi-Fi cloud coverage in limited neighborhoods at no cost. The experiment will be used to gauge the usefulness of Wi-Fi and the service to others it can provide. I think this is an excellent move in the right direction.

Make it accessible to all individuals. Offer lower cost products that low income families can afford, or hell…. just make it free to those who want it. We are bailing out all these screwed up companies, how about we give a helping hand to those who need it just to make the canyon of the digital divide smaller.