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THE CLINTON-GORE ADMINISTRATION:
FROM DIGITAL DIVIDE TO DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY
February 2, 2000
Today, President Clinton will unveil a comprehensive proposal to help
bridge the digital divide and create new opportunity for all Americans.
This issue has been a top priority for Vice President Gore, who has
worked to bridge the Digital Divide by ensuring that all children have
access to educational technology. Access to computers and the Internet
and the ability to use this technology effectively are becoming
increasingly important for full participation in America's economic,
political and social life. Unfortunately, unequal access to technology
and high-tech skills by income, educational level, race, and geography
could deepen and reinforce the divisions that exist within American
society. President Clinton believes that we must make access to
computers and the Internet as universal as the telephone is today -- in
our schools, libraries, communities, and homes.
To make the most of these new opportunities, the President believes we
must:
Broaden access to technologies such as computers, the Internet, and
high-speed networks;
Provide people the skilled teachers and the training they need to
master the information economy;
Promote online content and applications that will help empower all
Americans to use new technologies to their fullest potential.
President Clinton will announce specific proposals in his new budget to
help accomplish these goals and help create digital opportunity for more
Americans -- including $2 billion in tax incentives to encourage private
sector activities such as computer donations, and $380 million in new
and expanded initiatives to serve as a catalyst for public-private
partnerships.
PRESIDENT CLINTON'S NEW BUDGET INITIATIVES
$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.
To Help Mobilize Public/Private Partnerships To Close the Digital
Divide, President Clinton Will Lead A New Markets Trip during the week
of April 9th: Closing the Digital Divide requires creative
partnerships between industry, non-profit organizations and government.
That's why President Clinton will lead a New Markets trip during the
week of April 9th designed to mobilize a significant private and public
effort to close the digital divide. This trip, which will include
leading high-tech CEOs, will highlight communities that are using
information technology to enhance our children's education, expand
access to life-long learning, and create economic growth and high-tech,
high-wage jobs.
THE CLINTON-GORE AGENDA FOR
CREATING DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY
February 2, 2000
Private sector competition and rapid technological progress are powerful
forces to bridge the digital divide and make Information Age tools
available for more and more Americans. The information technology
industry is able to double the amount of computing power available at a
given price every 12-18 months, and is now selling low-cost computers
and "information appliances" -- such as specialized Internet access
devices. Some companies are even offering free, advertiser-supported
Internet access. By working with the private sector and community-based
organizations, the Administration can accelerate the trend toward
expanded access.
But access to technology is only the first step. We also need to give
people the skills they need to use technology, to promote content and
applications of technology that will help empower under-served
communities, and to ensure that teachers can use technology effectively
in the classroom. Below is a brief description of the initiatives that
President Clinton and Vice President Gore are proposing to help
accomplish these goals:
$2 billion over 10 years in tax incentives to encourage private
sector donation of computers, sponsorship of community technology
centers, and technology training for workers: President Clinton's
budget includes $2 billion in new tax incentives to encourage companies
to donate computers to schools, libraries and community technology
centers, to sponsor schools, libraries, and community technology centers
in designated Empowerment Zones, and to provide basic computer training,
workplace literacy, or other basic education for their employees.
Encouraging companies to donate computers. The President proposes to
extend and expand tax deduction that gives companies an incentive to
donate computers to schools, libraries and computer technology centers.
This enhanced deduction allows companies to deduct more than the cost of
their donation. Under current law, this deduction applies to donations
of computers to schools only and expires after the year 2000. The
President's proposal would extend this provision through June 30, 2004
and would expand it to donations to public libraries or community
technology centers in Empowerment Zones, Enterprise Communities, and
high-poverty areas.
Promoting corporate sponsorship of schools, libraries and community
technology centers. The President proposes tax relief to encourage
companies to sponsor schools and community technology centers in
Empowerment Zones, Enterprise Communities, and targeted low income
areas. The President's proposal would allocate credits for $16 million
in corporate sponsorship to each of the 31 existing Empowerment Zones
and 10 proposed new Empowerment Zones and $4 million in corporate
sponsorship for each of the more than 80 Enterprise Communities. In
total, the President's proposal would help support up to nearly $1
billion in annual sponsorships to help improve schools and community
technology centers.
Supporting technology training for workers. The President's proposal
would provide targeted tax relief to encourage companies to provide
basic computer training, workplace literacy, or other basic education
for employees that lack the basic skills to succeed in the modern
workplace. Companies would be allowed to take a 20 percent tax credit
for up to $5,250 in annual expenses per employee. Eligible employees
generally would not have received a high school degree or its
equivalent.
$150 million to help train all new teachers entering the workforce
use technology effectively in the classroom: Under the leadership of
President Clinton and Vice President Gore, the United States has made
enormous progress in connecting schools to the Internet, and increasing
the number of modern computers in the classroom. However, access to
computers and the Internet will not help students achieve high academic
standards unless teachers are as comfortable with a computer as they are
with a chalkboard. President Clinton's budget calls for $150 million in
Department of Education grants -- double the last year's investment of
$75 million -- to ensure that all new teachers entering the workforce
are technologically literate and can integrate technology into the
curriculum. The need for this investment is clear. According to the
National Center for Education Statistics, only 20 percent of teachers
report that they are "very well prepared" to integrate technology into
classroom. And over the next 10 years, K-12 schools will need to hire
2 million new teachers to fill the vacancies left by retiring teachers
and to accommodate increasing student populations.
$100 million to create up to 1,000 Community Technology Centers in
low-income urban and rural communities: The President's budget more than
triples the Department of Education's support for Community Technology
Centers - from $32.5 million in FY2000 to $100 million in FY2001. This
initiative, championed by Congresswoman Maxine Waters was initially
funded at $10 million in fiscal year 1999. The goal of the initiative
is to help close the "digital divide" by providing computers and
Information Age tools to children and adults that are not able to afford
them at home. These community technology centers will help empower
hundreds of thousands of low-income children and adults in a variety of
ways. Children will be able to improve their performance in school by
having access to high-quality educational software after school and
prepare for the high-tech workplace of the 21st century by getting
certified with an information technology skill. Adults will be able to
use computers and the Internet to take a self-paced adult literacy
course; get access to America's Job Bank to see what jobs are available;
learn to type up a resume and cover letter using word processing
software; learn to start up their own "micro-enterprise" or Web-based
business, or acquire new training. A study sponsored by the National
Science Foundation confirms that Community Technology Centers are
helping to bridge the digital divide. Of the users surveyed: 62 percent
had incomes of less than $15,000; 65 percent took computer classes to
improve their job skills; and 41 percent got homework help or tutoring
at the center.
$50 million for a public/private partnership to expand home access to
computers and the Internet for low-income families: The President's
budget includes a new $50 million Department of Commerce pilot program
to expand access to computers and the Internet for low-income families,
and to give these families the skills they need to use these new
Information Age tools effectively. This new program will provide
competitive grants to public-private partnerships at the local level.
Potential partners might include: local school districts seeking to
expand parental involvement in education; high-tech companies willing to
provide discounts on computers and access; libraries offering training
on "information literacy"; employers seeking to upgrade the skills of
their workforce using distance learning, and government agencies at all
levels seeking to save taxpayer dollars through the electronic delivery
of government services. The Administration will continue to work with
the private sector and non-profit organizations on the most effective
way to design this program.
$45 million to promote innovative applications of information
technology for under-served communities: President Clinton's budget will
increase the investment in the Department of Commerce's
highly-successful Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) to $45 million
-- triple the current level of $15 million. This program encourages
innovative applications of information technology that help empower
low-income communities -- public health information systems that raise
childhood immunization rates in inner-cities, tele-mentoring for at-risk
youth, and electronic networks that strengthen local communities by
fostering communication and collaboration.
$25 million to accelerate private sector deployment of high-speed
networks in under-served urban and rural communities: High-speed
Internet access is becoming as important to the economic vitality of a
community as roads and bridges are today. The President will propose a
new $25 million program at the Department of Commerce and the Department
of Agriculture to accelerate private sector deployment of broadband
networks in under-served urban and rural communities -- using grants and
loan guarantees. The potential payoff from these kinds of investments
is enormous. One company, for example, has helped people move from
"welfare-to-work" by connecting their community with the high-speed
networks needed to support telecommuting. This solves some of the
biggest barriers associated with welfare-to-work -- lack of childcare
and transportation.
$10 million to prepare Native Americans for careers in information
technology and other technical fields: The National Science Foundation
will support efforts by tribal colleges to increase the number of Native
Americans who are prepared to pursue careers in information technology
and other technical fields. The ability to use technology is becoming
increasingly important in the workplace, and jobs in the rapidly growing
information technology sector pay almost 80 percent more than the
average private sector wage.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Access to computers and the Internet and the ability to effectively use
this technology are becoming increasingly important for full
participation in America's economic, political and social life. People
are using the Internet to find lower prices for goods and services, work
from home or start their own business, acquire new skills using distance
learning, and make better informed decisions about their healthcare
needs. The ability to use technology is becoming increasingly important
in the workplace, and jobs in the rapidly growing information technology
sector pay almost 80 percent more than the average private sector wage.
Technology, used creatively, can also make a big difference in the way
teachers teach and students learn. In some classrooms, teachers are
using the Internet to keep up with the latest developments in their
field, exchange lesson plans with their colleagues, and communicate more
frequently with parents. Students are able to log on to the Library of
Congress to download primary documents for a history paper, explore the
universe with an Internet-connected telescope used by professional
astronomers, and engage in more active "learning by doing." Students
are also creating powerful Internet-based learning resources that can be
used by other students -- such as award-winning Web sites on endangered
species, the biology of sleep, human perception of sound, and an
exploration of the American judicial system.
Access to computers and the Internet has exploded during the
Clinton-Gore Administration. Unfortunately, there is strong evidence of
a "digital divide" -- a gap between those individuals and communities
that have access to these Information Age tools and those who don't. In
some instances, this divide is actually widening. A July 1999 report
from the Department of Commerce, based on December 1998 Census
Department data, revealed that:
Better educated Americans more likely to be connected. Between 1997
and 1998, the technology divide between those at the highest and lowest
education levels increased 25%. In 1998, those with a college degree
are more than eight times likely to have a computer at home and nearly
sixteen times as likely to have home Internet access as those with an
elementary school education.
The gap between high- and low-income Americans is increasing. In the
last year, the divide between those at the highest and lowest income
levels grew 29%. Households with incomes of $75,000 or higher are more
than twenty times more likely to have access to the Internet than those
at the lowest income levels, and more than nine times as likely to have
a computer at home.
Whites more likely to be connected than African-Americans or
Hispanics. The digital divide is also persistent and growing along
racial and ethnic lines. Whites are more likely to have access to the
Internet from home than African-Americans or Hispanics have from any
location. African-American and Hispanic households are roughly
two-fifths as likely to have home Internet access as white households.
The gaps between white and Hispanic households, and between white and
African-American households, are now more than six percentage points
larger than they were in 1994. However, for incomes of $75,000 and
higher, the divide between whites and African-Americans has narrowed
considerably in the last year.
Rural areas less likely to be connected than urban users. Regardless
of income level, those living in rural areas are lagging behind in
computer ownership and Internet access. At some income levels, those in
urban areas are 50% more likely to have Internet access than those
earning the same income in rural areas. Low income households in rural
areas are the least connected, with connectivity rates in the singles
digits for both computers and Internet access.
In addition, data from the National Center for Education Statistics
reveals a "digital divide" in our nation's schools. As of the fall of
1998, 39 percent of classrooms of poor schools were connected to the
Internet, as compared to 62 percent for wealthier schools.
A STRONG RECORD OF WORKING TO CLOSE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
President Clinton and Vice President Gore have worked hard to close the
digital divide, and to help create opportunity for more Americans in the
Information Age.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore have set a national goal of
ensuring that every child is technologically literate. In addition to
preparing children for the high-tech workplace of the 21st century,
technology can help change the way teachers teach and students learn.
Teachers can communicate more frequently with parents, keep up with the
latest developments in their field, and exchange lesson plans with their
colleagues. Students can conduct research using primary source
material, learn the principles of genetics by breeding virtual fruit
flies, and learn astronomy by using a professional telescope located
3,000 miles from their classroom.
As a result of the Clinton-Gore educational technology initiative:
The number of classrooms connected to the Internet has increased from
3% in 1994 to 51% in 1998.
The number of schools connected to the Internet has increased from
35% in 1994 to 89% in 1998.
The "e-rate", part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, is
providing $2.25 billion in 20% - 90% discounts to connect schools and
libraries to the Internet, with the deepest discounts going to the
poorest schools that need it most. The e-rate alone has provided
Internet access for children in more than 1 million classrooms.
Our total investment in educational technology at the federal level
(including the e-rate) has increased from $23 million in 1993 to over $3
billion today.
Grants supported by the Department of Education are training 400,000
new teachers to use technology effectively in the classroom.
In addition, President Clinton and Vice-President Gore have worked to:
Expand access to technology for people with disabilities: President
Clinton and Vice President Gore have been strong supporters of efforts
to make technology more accessible for people with disabilities. Recent
actions by the Federal Communications Commission will help ensure that
telecommunications equipment, such as cellular phones, is designed to be
accessible for people with disabilities.
Expand access to technology in under-served communities: In addition
to the Community Technology Center program, HUD Sec. Andrew Cuomo has
created approximately 500 Neighborhood Network learning centers that
bring state of the art technology to publicly-assisted housing across
America. HUD's Neighborhood Networks are innovative private/public
partnerships that establish computer-based multi-service centers to help
people in publicly-assisted housing learn critical computer skills and
prepare for 21st century jobs.
Ensure that the Administration makes closing the Digital Divide a top
priority. In December, 1999, President Clinton directed members of the
Cabinet to take specific actions to address the digital divide:
President Clinton is directing members of his Cabinet (Secretaries of
Commerce, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban
Development, and Labor) to take specific steps to close the Digital
Divide, including:
Continuing to measure the nature and extent of the digital divide by
examining the importance of income, education, race, gender, geography
and age to Americans' access to Information Age tools;
Expanding the network of Community Technology Centers to provide
access to technology for those Americans who can't afford it;
Promoting applications of the Internet that will empower low-income
families, such as the ability to start their own business; and
Upgrading the IT skills of workers in low-income communities.