March 1, 2012
At the Huffington Post, Gerry Smith examines the digital divide. The whole piece (which mentions IIA’s own analysis “10 Ways Being Online Saves You Money”) is worth a read. Here’s a taste:
[B]eing disconnected isn’t just a function of being poor. These days, it is also a reason some people stay poor. As the Internet has become an essential platform for job-hunting and furthering education, those without access are finding the basic tools for escaping poverty increasingly out of reach.
“The cost of being offline is greater now than it was 10 years ago,” said John Horrigan, vice president of policy research at TechNet, a trade association representing high-tech companies. “So many important transactions take place online. If you don’t have access to high-speed Internet, you’re missing out on a lot.”