FACT SHEET: In Information Expansion, Blacks Lag Behind

FALLING THROUGH THE NET: DEFINING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE, November 1999

This report on the telecommunications and information technology gap in America provides comprehensive data on the level of access by Americans to telephones, computers, and the Internet. It includes valuable information about where Americans are gaining access, what they are doing with their online connections, and provides trendline information since 1984.

According to the report, the number of Americans accessing the Internet has grown rapidly in the last year; yet, in the midst of this general expansion, the "digital divide" between information "haves" and "have nots" continues to widen.

Overview:

Race or ethnic origin still plays a significant role in a household's access to telephones, computers, and the Internet. On average, Black non Hispanic (Black) households continue to lag behind in overall U.S. telephone penetration. In rural areas, the difference is even more pronounced. In recent years, however, the White/Black divide in telephone ownership has begun to shrink.

Black households also continue to trail White households in their access to computers and the Internet. Black households today are twice as likely to own computers as they were in 1994, but distinct disparities in access to computers and the Internet still remain. In fact, the gap between White and Black households' access to the Internet grew significantly between 1997 and 1998.

Highlights:

· Blacks enjoy less access to the Internet at any location (home, work, school, or library) than Whites do at home.

· Blacks using the Internet outside the home are nearly twice as likely (1.91 times) to use a public library or community center as whites.

· From 1997 to 1998, the gap for home Internet access between White and Black households grew by 37.7%, while from 1994 to 1998 the gap for computer ownership widened by 39.2%.

· However, at incomes above $75,000, from 1997 to 1998, the White/Black household gap for computer ownership narrowed by 76.2%.

· While 95.7% of White households have a telephone, Black households lag behind at 87.8%.

· Black households making over $75,000 today are as likely to own a telephone (99.7%) as Whites or any other household type at a comparable income level.

Significant Findings:

The gap between White and Black households' home Internet access has continued to widen in the last year alone. Nevertheless, the data shows that the role of race or ethnic origin in access to new technologies is becoming less defined at the highest incomes. This fact suggests that if prices of computers and the Internet continue to decline, the divide between the information rich and poor may also begin to narrow at lower income levels.

        Note:   Press Contact:                          For Report Details, contact:
                Mary Hanley, (202) 482-2075             Kelly Levy, (202) 482-1880
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