DIGITAL DIVIDE
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DIGITAL DIVIDE
HIS CIVIL RIGHTS CHALLENGE: EQUAL ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY
Issue: Digital Divide
"I believe one of the main civil rights challenges of this new millennium is
the challenge of ensuring equal access to technology," said Federal
Communications Commission Chairman William Kennard. "W. E. B. Du Bois said,
'The problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color line.' At the
dawn of this century, our challenge is preventing the color line from
determining who is online." Although the FCC is usually the referee in a
fights between "the rich and the very wealthy," Chairman Kennard is on a
mission to provide a voice for those who cannot hire Washington lobbyists.
"If you look across the nation, 94 percent of homes in America have
telephones," he said. "When you look at people living on tribal lands, the
average drops below 50 percent. And in some areas, such as the Navajo
nation, telephone service is down at 20 percent. We're not talking about
Internet access, we're talking about basic phone service. In an era of
wireless technology and satellite technology, that shouldn't exist."
During a conservative time in Washington, Chairman Kennard has championed
increased funding for the e-rate, low-power radio stations and restrictions
on local telephone companies wishing to move into the long distance market.
"I'm frustrated that oftentimes the debate focuses on winners and losers in
terms of who will make money and lose money and not what I think is most
important, which is how will something benefit the public," he said. "And
I'm frustrated that members of Congress often don't want to engage with me
on policy but have made up their minds, often after hearing from big
interests who are constituents. When I got here I thought, maybe na