Copyright 2000 eMediaMillWorks, Inc.
(f/k/a Federal
Document Clearing House, Inc.)
Federal Document Clearing House
Congressional Testimony
October 2, 2000, Monday
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 2400 words
COMMITTEE:
HOUSE GOVERNMENT REFORM
SUBCOMMITTEE:
GOVERNMENT MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY
HEADLINE: TESTIMONY FIRSTGOV.GOV
TESTIMONY-BY: MICHAEL D. FLEISHER , THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
AND AMERICAN SOCIETY
BODY:
October 2, 2000 The
Digital Divide and American Society Michael D. -Fleisher Gartner Congress of the
United States House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform.
Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology. 1 appreciate
the opportunity to appear before you this morning to discuss Gartner's new
report, "The Digital Divide and American Society." As you all know, the Internet
has emerged in recent years as a phenomenal engine for U.S. economic growth and
development. But we also know that access to the Internet, which is today
recognized as a key tool for individual social and economic mobility, is far
from universal. This uneven distribution of Internet access is commonly referred
to as the "Digital Divide" and is currently being addressed by a number of
public and private policy initiatives. The digital divide has profound
implications in the new wired economy. The Internet will soon be so pervasive
that not having access to the technology, or not knowing how to use it, will be
the equivalent of not knowing how to read or write. In short, the digital divide
carries with it the threat that large segments of the U.S. population will be
left behind both economically and socially. Gartner estimates that by 2005,
Internet usage among American adults will reach 75% penetration, or
approximately 150 million adults. The fate of the 50 million adults who will
suddenly find themselves functionally "illiterate" in the new economy is an
issue of profound importance. Because the digital divide has such important
ramifications, Gartner recently undertook an extensive survey to determine three
things: - First, the exact nature of the digital divide. Who is benefiting the
most from this technology and who is most at risk of being left behind? -Second,
exactly what sorts of inequities exist right now and what further inequities may
arise in the future. -Third, how effective are current public and private
initiatives to bridge the divide, and what long-term strategies have the best
chance of erasing the divide over time. Our first key conclusion is that the
digital divide continues to be pervasive. Despite a booming economy, lower PC
costs, and phenomenal growth in the Internet, there is still a dramatic shortage
of Internet access at the lower end of the socioeconomic scale. Our second key
conclusion is that there is not one, but actually three digital divides. The
first digital divide will one- day be closed by universal PC ownership and
universal Internet access. But a second digital divide will continue to exist
that we call the experience gap. Lower socioeconomic groups who have only
recently gained Internet access will not derive significant benefit in the
near-term due to the steep learning curve that accompanies any new, complex
technology. This experience gap will evaporate over time, but it is very real
today. In addition, the broadband access that is coming through cable,
DSL, and ISDN will cause yet a third digital divide to appear
in the next few years. As broadband access reaches higher penetration rates, we
can expect to see a gap in broadband adoption that mirrors today 7s gap in PC
ownership. Only those with broadband access will be able to take full advantage
of the next generation of Internet services, again leaving many behind. Our
report's third and final key conclusion is that current short- term tactical
solutions, while an important first step, will not by themselves be a long-term
answer. These tactical solutions, such as PCs and Internet access in libraries
and kiosks, provide critical points of entry. However, for the longer term,
public policy must focus on bringing access to people in their homes, where
Internet -use can become fully integrated into the full spectrum of people's
daily lives. A number of studies, most notably one in Hundred, West Virginia,
have shown a dramatic difference in student achievement levels when they are
given a laptop and home Internet access versus when they are given access only
at school. Think of your own children and the enormous benefit they receive from
having a PC at home. One possible approach to closing the digital divide is for
government to encourage business strategies that will accelerate home Internet
access. Policies such as tax credits for providing Internet access to employees
and telecommuting could encourage businesses to provide low- cost Internet
access for their workers. In addition, governments must carefully evaluate their
own workplaces for opportunities to close the digital divide. Programs to
provide low cost PC and Internet access for all government employees would have
a large impact on closing the digital divide and on insuring that government
employees are comfortable and proficient with information technology. Our
complete report goes into considerably more detail on these important issues and
recommendations, and I encourage you to look at it closely. There is one final
point that I wish to make as a voter and a as citizen, as much as the CEO of an
Internet research company. I have seen the Internet revolutionize industry after
industry in the past few years. Today, government sits on the precipice of some
very profound changes as well. I believe that each of you will be affected very
directly. For example, what will be the role of elected officials in a fully
wired world in which the opinions of the citizens can be known instantly and
completely on any subject? Our entire system of checks and balances is designed
to insure that government policy is produced not by simply responding to the hot
impulse of the moment, but from a period of examination and reflection. In a
fully wired world, representatives will be hard pressed to ignore the tyranny of
instant opinion, and will increasingly be ruled by the passions of the moment.
Indeed, your failure to be ruled by the passion of the moment may lead to a
dramatic increase in methods such as voter initiatives and referendums that are
explicitly designed to circumvent your role. I'm sure that you all remember a
few years back when citizen frustration resulted in a stampede to enact term
limits through voter referendums. When all citizens can directly speak and vote
on the Internet, at what point will some frustrated citizens begin to seriously
suggest that elected officials themselves have become obsolete? Our form of
constitutional government has adapted to the significant technological advances
in the past. In the 19 century, railroads and the telegraph began to eliminate
both time and space as obstacles to commerce and communication. In the process,
they opened the settlement of the West and transformed the relationship between
citizens and their local, state and federal governments. In the 20th century the
telephone, radio and television became the primary instruments of individual
expression and instantaneous information. And we are only just now beginning to
understand their full impact on our society. At each stage, representative
government evolved to meet the needs of an electorate educated and empowered by
new technological tools. Consequently, there is ample reason to believe that
your role as elected representatives will change dramatically in the next few
years as the digital divide is eliminated. We all welcome the economic benefits
that will flow from the closing of this divide. But we all need to anticipate
and address its social consequences as well. Most importantly, we must all
ponder how best to strengthen our political institutions in a fully wired world
that will demand both instant information and instant answers. Thank you.
LOAD-DATE: October 4, 2000, Wednesday
