[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 120 (Wednesday, September 15, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1889-E1890]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         GROWING DIGITAL DIVIDE

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                          HON. JOHN B. LARSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 15, 1999

  Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to draw attention to our 
nation's growing digital divide. The nation's economy is surging to 
unprecedented levels. The productivity of small business start-ups, 
driven by technology and American ingenuity, is bursting with 
entrepreneurial capital and the creation of unparalleled wealth.
  Yet amidst the euphoria, there is growing concern about the alarming 
trend of limited access to the benefits of this ``digit'' economy.
  In its July report, ``Falling Through The Net,'' the Department of 
Commerce confirmed these fears about the information ``haves'' and 
``have nots'' citing a persisting ``digital divide'' between the 
information rich and the information poor. A divide characterized by a 
disparity of race, gender, wealth and geography that grows disturbingly 
further apart.

[[Page E1890]]

  The great irony of this technology enterprise is that it's running 
out of a vital fuel source: skilled workers. American corporations are 
now in the position of asking Congress to help import a workforce from 
foreign countries.
  Congress needs to reinforce a crucial pipeline for this needed fuel 
so that our technological enterprises can feel secure in their ability 
to grow. That pipeline has been and continues to be public education. 
Unfortunately, the pipeline is clogged because our policies are 
floundering with piecemeal, patch-worked solutions instead of a solidly 
constructed plan. We cannot meet the demands of a digital economy, with 
inadequate infrastructure, untrained teachers, resistant universities, 
indecisive government, and a private sector that thinks donating its 
old computers is the solution to the problem.
  Congress must recognize a fundamental need to rethink how we deliver 
education in our classrooms. It needs to light up the desktops of our 
students and the blackboards of their teachers, and provide students 
with the training and skills they need to be contributing members of 
our future workforce. Specifically, it needs to bring the information 
superhighway into our schools and libraries, giving students the 
opportunity to participate in the global economy.
  In order for this opportunity to be seized by Congress, it will take 
more than a thirty second sound bite. It will require a long term plan.
  Congress must forge a new alliance of the nation's talented 
technological sector and leading academic and government agencies, to 
develop a strategic plan with appropriate implementation bench marks. 
The information infrastructure needed for classrooms and public 
libraries must be examined to ensure that it provides the most 
efficient and cost effective results. Yet, we must also realize that 
while a high-tech education system is critical, it won't work without 
trained professionals.
  As a parent of three and a former teacher, I understand that no act 
of Congress ever reads to a child at night, tucks him in, or offers him 
the kind of nurturing growth that comes from caring parents. Similarly, 
no piece of technology can replace a highly trained teacher. There can 
be no high tech, without high touch.
  According to U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley, over the next 
10 years, this country will need two million new teachers. These new 
teachers must be digitally fluent and prepared to integrate technology 
into their daily lesson plans and curriculum. Our colleges and 
universities must be prepared to provide this outcome, and Congress 
must be prepared to provide incentives. These incentives would include 
tax credits for equipment purchases, tuition credits to acquire new 
skills, and incentives for business to buddy with teachers and adopt 
schools.
  The third component of how Congress can integrate high-tech learning 
into our society, relates to creating a civic culture that will 
encourage young people with computer talent to share their knowledge 
with their community. The best way to make that happen will be through 
a youth technology corps.
  A national tech corps starting in the fifth grade and continuing 
through high school, this youth technology corps will be of 
technological service to its peers and adults, and expose young people 
to the importance of community service. Learning the important lesson 
that serving is as important as being served.
  Congress has a responsibility to leave no one behind in the digital 
economy. It must provide the opportunities needed to help Americans 
attain personal and financial security in a global economy. It can make 
this happen, or it can be remembered as the Congress that squandered an 
unprecedented educational moment.

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