Closing the digital divide ...

Submitted by Phillip Williams on Sat, 07/15/2006 - 17:46.

France gets poorest citizens online for €1 ($1.28)  a day.


Why is it that I am reading of the digital divide being closed aggressively every ware but in Cleveland?! I thought maybe it was not that big of deal here in greater Cleveland... I mean everyone has a computer right? WRONG!!! It is pathetic that so many people are without a basic computer and Internet connection. What will it take to make this problem go away? I for one am willing to put forth an effort to help solve this problem.

A while ago there was a call for computers and a few organizations stepped forward. The problem now is getting people to lend a hand. So I am asking for people with computer skills to help out. We have the opportunity to recycle over 5000 computers. Yes that is right 5K, not a typo like I so often make.

I want to see what is happening in other areas of the world happen right here in Cleveland. For example the French are making us look like complete fools with their efforts. Click here for more info. If we are to address this problem seriously we need to take action now, not tomorrow, but now.

If you want to be involved in someway, please contact me ASAP at phillip [at] realinks [dot] us.

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Bridge digital divide? Yes - let's get focused here!

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sat, 07/15/2006 - 18:37.

I conducted a comparative analysis of a large sample of NEO people's perceptions about the digital divide and found all respondents believe we must get everyone in NEO across the divide to make our economy in NEO effective, yet many of the people who are already across the divide in NEO don't see this as their problem - many see it as a poverty problem the affluent don't care about. Unfortunately, to make matters worse, for the past many years people have believed OneCleveland is addressing this issue, when that is not at all what they do or intend to do - they sell big-bandwidth to non-profits at reduced non-profit rates. So, we live in a community that knows we have a problem and it knows it is important to solve that but it believes it is poor people's problem and that OneCleveland is around to solve it.

So let's start solving the problem with a reality check by understanding the digital divide is the problem of everyone in the region, hurting the economy for everyone, and it is not being addressed in a comprehensive social way by anyone but a few friends of realneo. That said, who else wants to be a friend of real NEO - contact Phillip Williams at phillipw [at] inbox [dot] com

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