Next president should launch the Digital New Deal

[Commentary] When more than 3 million voters under age 30 turned out for recent caucuses and primaries, they staked a claim as a major force shaping this historic presidential election. Because so many leave college with, on average, $20,000 in debt during a recession economy and are entering a job market with fewer opportunities to earn a decent living, energized young Americans are yearning to help solve America's problems, address the mounting issues of income disparity, and contribute to the health and well-being of their communities. At the same time, a call for enhanced national public service is part of the presidential candidates' campaign platforms. Thus, this is a singular moment in which to demand a larger and bolder vision to propel all Americans, across generations, fully into the 21st century. It's time for a Digital New Deal. Our next president can help reconstruct America's fragmented and relatively weak public communications infrastructure by using the most effective tool our youth wield -- the power and depth of their digital fluency. What will this work look like? Youth-driven teams will design tools, social networks and online environments that bolster and stimulate community-building and citizen participation. They would work with information technology specialists to democratize the next generation of broadband access. And they can creatively partner with nonprofits, public schools and communities to build technological and networking capacity that will help us address challenges such as climate change, lack of health care and economic hardship. The Digital New Deal will also foster a much-needed intergenerational knowledge exchange. Imagine after the 2008 election, a swarm of arts and culture leaders, public interest and policy advocates, energetic young software developers, philanthropists, media reformers and forward-thinking politicians banding together in a broad coalition to construct this Digital New Deal. How this investment in our future would be implemented- including public and private partnerships - is a debate well worth having.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/04/11/EDJU103F1...