| Chapter 2: | Background |
Digital Divide and Policy Issues
The essence of the Digital Divide is based upon an assumption that the differential access to communications technology exacerbates social differences between haves and have-nots (Becker, 2000). In the late 1990s, this perceived difference became the impetus for a socially sensitive communications policy. In hope of bridging the access gap, many programs were created and supported by both government agencies and private entities. Most of the efforts, such as E-Rate, and Net-Day, were focused on providing assistance with physical facilities and equipment or the expenses associated with initiation of networks services (Becker, 2000; U.S. Department of Education, 2005b). Stated in A Retrospective on Twenty Years of Education Technology Policy , by 1997, “As the Internet began to emerge, recommendations regarding access addressed the need for Internet connections in addition to the hardware and software” (McMillan-Culp, Honey, & Mandinach, 2003, p. 11). These efforts were for the most part successful, as of now nearly every student in the United States has access to the Internet at school.
By 2005, access to the Internet was assumed to be standard for all students. The U.S. Department of Education cites priorities in the national technology plan, Toward a New Golden Age in American Education: How the Internet, the Law and Today’s Students are Revolutionizing Expectations , released on January 7, 2005. The only recommended technical initiatives stated as priorities in the national technology plan were to encourage broadband access, promote technical teacher training, and integrate data systems.
The expectation of universal access is expressed in the actions of the U.S. Department of Education. The registration document for the June 2003 event, Education Technology: Preparing Students and Parents for the Digital Age , states “Technology has tremendous potential to inspire students, improve academic performance, and close the achievement gap for children who historically have been left behind” (U.S. Department of Education, 2003, ¶ 1).