[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 32 (Thursday, February 27, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E311]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CLOSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE

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                          HON. DIANE E. WATSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 27, 2003

  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to echo my colleagues' concerns 
with the prevailing digital divide in African American communities.
  As our society continues to make leaps and bounds in the digital 
information age, too many people are still left behind. It is 
especially evident in the African American communities, where currently 
only four out of ten African-Americans have access to internet access--
30 points behind the national average. This sharp contrast continues to 
represent a very substantial and real divide in our society.
  But the picture is not all gloomy. In 2001, for instance, internet 
usage among African Americans increased by 31 percent, as compared to 
19 percent among whites. High-tech companies have also begun to focus 
on technological literacy among our nation's students, such as 
Microsoft's recent initiative to donate a $15 million software grant to 
Historically Black College and University campuses.
  Now it's up to this Congress to do more. The Omnibus Appropriations 
bill we just passed has under-funded many of the programs aimed to 
stimulate technological usage and access for more Americans, among them 
the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the Community Technology 
Centers (CTC), and the Technology Opportunities Program (TOP).
  We must recommit ourselves to those resources. We must also maintain 
an open market for competition in the telecommunications industry so 
that better services can be brought to more communities at lower 
prices.
  I urge my colleagues today to work towards those goals.

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