Money to Bridge the 'Digital Divide'
Dateline: 02/03/2000
President Clinton's Fiscal Year 2000 Budget Proposal to Congress includes a multi-billion dollar spending plan designed to extend Internet access to poor Americans and minorities making it as universally available as the telephone.
The President made bridging the so-called "digital divide" a top fiscal priority in his State of the Union Address presented last week.
The Administration proposal comes in response to a July Commerce Department report that showed growing gaps between numbers of whites and minorities, city and rural citizens, and rich and poor persons who access the Internet.
Specifics of the President's proposed plan include:
- $2 billion in tax incentives over 10 years to encourage private sector donation of computers, sponsorship of community technology centers, and technology training for workers.
- 150 million to help train all new teachers entering the workforce to use technology effectively.
- $100 million to create 1,000 Community Technology Centers in low-income urban and rural neighborhoods.
- $50 million for a public/private partnership to expand home access to computers and the Internet for low-income families.
- $45 million to promote innovative applications of information and communications technology for under-served communities.
- $25 million to accelerate private sector deployment of broadband networks in under-served urban and rural communities.
- $10 million to prepare Native Americans for careers in Information Technology and other technical fields.
Source: White House Press Release
The Administration hopes the plan's dependence on private-sector contributions through tax credits and grants will help it win approval of Congressional Republicans who remain opposed to expanded government spending.
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