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                     THE CLINTON/GORE ADMINISTRATION:
             FROM GLOBAL DIGITAL DIVIDE TO DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY
   President Clinton and Other G-8 Leaders to Create Digital Opportunity
                                 Taskforce
                               July 22, 2000

TODAY, THE CLINTON/GORE ADMINISTRATION WILL ANNOUNCE NEW EFFORTS BY THE PUBLIC AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO BRIDGE THE GLOBAL DIGITAL DIVIDE: The Clinton/Gore Administration will announce new public and private sector efforts to bridge the global digital divide and to create digital opportunity for the people of the developing world.

This issue is a long-standing priority for the Administration. Vice President Gore unveiled the Administration's vision of a "Global Information Infrastructure" in a major policy address in 1994, and has led Administration efforts to promote the expansion of the Internet in developing countries.

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ARE NOT YET FULL PARTICIPANTS IN THE INFORMATION REVOLUTION -- Of the estimated 332 million people online as of March 2000, less than 1 percent (2.77 million) live in Africa. (Nua Internet Surveys, March 2000.) -- Less than 5 percent of the computers that are connected to the Internet are in developing countries. -- The developed world has 49.5 phone lines per 100 people, compared to 1.4 phones in low-income countries. (International Telecommunications Union, 1999.)

PRESIDENT CLINTON AND CORPORATE AND NON-PROFIT LEADERS WILL ANNOUNCE NEW STEPS TO BRING DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOPING WORLD -- The Clinton-Gore Administration will invite 7 developing countries to join the Internet for Economic Development (IED) Initiative, bringing the total to 20. -- The Ex-Im Bank will accept the credit of states and other subsovereign entities in many emerging markets, expanding access to U.S. Information Technology Products and Services. -- The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) will establish a $200 million line of credit for E-commerce and Digital Divide projects in developing countries. -- Markle Foundation, World Economic Forum, IBM, Harvard University, United Nations Development Program and UN Foundation will create a network readiness initiative - available to all developing nations. -- United Nations Development Program, Andersen Consulting, and Markle Foundation will develop a strategy and implementation plan for bridging the Digital Divide. -- Cisco Systems will expand its Cisco Networking Academies to 24 of the Least Developed Nations. -- Global Business Dialogue on Electronic Commerce (GBDe) will partner with ASEAN nations to strengthen E-Commerce policies. -- Intel will expand "Teach to the Future" (technology training for teachers) in at least 10 more countries, including developing countries in Africa, Asia, Middle East and South America. -- AOL will launch four international PowerUP Sites in 2001 in four countries. -- StarMedia Foundation & Partners will expand IT Training Program for Low-Income Youth to all Latin American countries. -- Microsoft will support 4 Digital Divide projects in India, Columbia, Korea and Russia.

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A LIST OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR INITATIVES TO BRING DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

The Okinawa Charter also highlights the importance of promoting applications of IT - such as publicly available "digital libraries" that allow nations to share their cultural heritage.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF BRIDGING THE GLOBAL DIGITAL DIVIDE

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