The growth of the Internet and widening employment of computer technology is fueling an historic economic boom in the United States, but millions of Americans are being left behind. Whether because of insufficient technology training or having inadequate means to gain access to computers and the Internet, a gap has been created between those with access to technology and those without -- the so-called "digital divide."

Much of the recent debate surrounding the issue centers on a report from the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). In July, 1999, the NTIA published Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide. This report examined how new technology is creating "haves" and "have nots," and reported that the digital divide widened in 1999.

On April 17, President Clinton unveiled pledges of over $100 million from tech companies for poor communities. In January 1999 he announced a package of tax credits, private and public investment, and other programs to help digital "have-nots." Many computer and Internet companies have been eager to cooperate.

On One Hand...

The government has a duty to close the Digital Divide between rich and poor. Every individual deserves an equal opportunity to use the new technologies for economic improvement.

President Clinton has endorsed a $250 million plan to offer tax credits and affordable loans to businesses that employ people in low-income areas. E-rate, a new program to give grants to schools and libraries, has provided $2.25 billion dollars this past year alone. The price of these programs is well worth the cost because the use of new technology has been increased, and economic opportunities for Americans have been greatly expanded.

On the Other Hand...

The government is throwing money away trying to change a situation that is already changing on its own. Advances in technology take time to spread and already, the Internet has become more widely available in a shorter period of time than both the telephone and electricity.

There are also vast inaccuracies in the NTIA study on the technology gap. The report acknowledges that 40 percent of blacks access the Internet from work, but excludes this, and similar data regarding Internet usage at libraries, from the report's calculation of the gap.

NTIA reported that between 1994 and 1998 the gap between those with Internet access grew. However, during this time period African Americans became far more likely to own computers -- and in fact the percentage increase in computer ownership among minorities was nearly twice that of whites.

• The time taken for a quarter of the population to obtain Internet access is seven times faster than that of electricity; five times faster than the telephone.

• Black and Hispanic households are only two-fifths as likely to have Internet access as white households.

• Households with incomes under $75,000 are more than 20 times as likely to have access to the Internet then households with incomes under$15,000.

• From 1994 to 1998 there was a 72 percent increase in whites who owned computers, and a 125 percent increase in Black computer owners.

• On Jan. 6, 2000, U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary William Daley announced a program to give $12.5 million in grants to help close the gap between the "haves," and the "have nots."

• In July 1999, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and AT&T announced a partnership to establish technology centers to provide Internet access and computer training in 20 U.S. cities. AT&T donated $300,000 to the NAACP for the purchase of hardware and software, and will also run Internet seminars to be held at the centers.

• In February 2000, Ford Motor Co. and Delta Air Lines Inc. offered to provide every employee with home computers and Internet access.

E-Commercetimes, FCW Government Technology Group, Wired, Washington Post, Yahoo