Inch by Inch, DEC Works to Narrow the Digital Divide
Feature Story by Teresa Kraly - 8/1/2002
In a remarkable victory for community technology supporters, the Senate appropriations subcommittee has voted to fund the two important community technology programs - the Technology Opportunities Program and the Community Technology Centers program (TOP and CTC) -- at levels comparable to last year's amounts, despite the Bush Administration's recommendation to eliminate these programs from the FY03 budget.The Digital Empowerment Campaign (DEC) has taken a lead in the fight to sustain federal funding for critical programs that close the gap between the technological haves and have-nots. Over 110 national organizations have signed on to the DEC's goal of strengthening the leadership role of the federal government in making sure all segments of society are able to benefit from and participate in the Information Society.
The recent achievements of the DEC include the release of "Bringing A Nation Online: The Importance of Federal Leadership", a report by the Leadership Conference Education Fund (LCEF) and the Benton Foundation , with support from the Ford Foundation. "Bringing a Nation Online shows the important role the federal government is playing in supporting innovative, community-based partnerships that can move people and communities from poverty to prosperity," said Wade Henderson, Counsel of the Leadership Conference Education Fund.
On July 13 and July 26, the Senate and the House, respectively, held staff briefings on the Bringing a Nation Online report. Staff from the Benton Foundation, LCEF, the Baltimore Urban League, and Aspira spoke at the briefings providing detailed information on the creation and importance of the report. In the Senate, Tony Wilhelm of the Benton Foundation said, "Addressing the Divide through federal initiatives matters because telecommunications- one-sixth of the nation's economy ? are key to improving people's lives. Scuttling valuable programs then is penny-wise and pound-foolish."
The Bringing a Nation Online report responded to statements from the Department of Commerce report, A Nation Online, that claims the digital divide no longer exists. Although some progress has been made, the digital divide is actually increasing and has drawn international attention. Last month, the United Nations and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) held the first preparatory committee meeting of the World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva.
Representing the civil rights community through the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) and as members of the Digital Empowerment Campaign, Brian Komar, Director of Strategic Affairs at LCCR and LCEF, and Mark Lloyd, Board Member of the LCEF, attended the meeting in Geneva to ensure the inclusion of the civil rights agenda. Komar remarked, "Just as government has played a leadership role in supporting policies and programs to promote equal opportunity, so too can and should the federal government play a leadership role in expanding equal opportunity in the Information Age."
The Geneva meeting is the first of three meetings leading up to the UN World Summit on the Information Society scheduled for 2003 in Geneva and 2005 in Tunis. Mr. Utsumi, Secretary-General of the ITU said, "now is the time to reflect on the tremendous impact that information and communication technologies have on economic, social and political activities and on our everyday individual life. It is time for world leaders to shape the right direction of the Information Society."
The past weeks have marked huge accomplishments for the Digital Empowerment Campaign. The DEC and LCEF anticipates future victories with the support of all those dedicated to ending the digital divide.
