[CAnet - news] $1 Billion Initiative to bridge digital divide announced in the US
"Bill St.Arnaud" <[email protected]>
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For more information on this item please visit the CANARIE CA*net 4 Optical Internet program web site at http://www.canarie.ca/canet4/library/list.html ------------------------------------------- [Thanks to Frank Coluccio for this pointers. Some excerpts -- BSA] http://www.lisc.org/whatsnew/press/releases/2005.08.08.0.shtml LISC/NEF and One Economy Launch $1 Billion Initiative to Bridge the Digital Divide U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton Helps Unveil Initiative to Connect More Americans to 21st Century Opportunities Bronx, NY - Efforts to close the technological gap between America's haves and have-nots will get a boost this week. Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and its subsidiary the National Equity Fund (NEF) are partnering with One Economy to launch "access@home," a $1 billion initiative that will build more than 15,000 affordable homes with high-speed digital Internet connectivity and provide low-income families personal access to computers and technology services. The initiative expects to connect nearly 100,000 people to the vast advantage of the Internet. LISC/NEF and One Economy will be joined by U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Former Treasury Secretary and LISC chairman Robert E. Rubin, and other local and national dignitaries to unveil this important opportunity for low-income families and communities in New York and across the country on August 8, 2005. The launch event will be held at 11:00 a.m. at La Puerta de Vitalidad, 3103 Third Avenue, Bronx, New York. "Today, one of the greatest catalysts for fostering economic opportunity and opening up new markets is the Internet, but for too many people, the digital divide is still too wide. All New Yorkers - from the Bronx to Buffalo and beyond - need to be wired with next-generation broadband technology in order to succeed in the global marketplace," said Senator Hillary Clinton, who is working with LISC/NEF and One Economy to help expand broadband access into communities throughout New York State. "With access@home, LISC/NEF and One Economy will help bring the power of technology into thousands of households so that every family can have the tools for success in today's technology-rich economy." Despite an overall increase in the number of U.S. households with computers and/or Internet access, low-income Americans remain significantly less likely to be online than middle- or high-income households. In fact, Americans earning less than $30,000 a year comprise only 18 percent of Internet users, despite comprising 28 percent of the population. Low-income youth are especially hard hit, being eight times less likely to use computers at home as children in families earning $75,000 or more. "Americans today live and work as members of the global economy - and technology is our connective tissue," noted Robert E. Rubin, chairman of LISC. "The launch of access@home can play a key role in ensuring that our low-income communities and neighbors are able to participate in this technological revolution." The US Department of Commerce estimates that 95% of new jobs created will require significant computer skills. According to projections from the US Labor Department, eight of the ten fastest-growing jobs in the period 2000-2010 are computer-related. Unfamiliarity with technology can actually bar people from the doors of their would-be workplaces: of the 92% of Fortune 500 companies that used corporate websites for active job recruitment in 2003, one-third did not give job seekers the option of applying for jobs offline. "The digital divide still runs deep in America, leaving far too many families out of the personal and economic opportunities technology provides," stated Michael Rubinger, president and CEO of LISC. "At the same time, a dearth of well-maintained affordable housing severely compromises the strength of families and neighborhoods. For these reasons, LISC/NEF looks for innovative ways to stabilize communities while providing them the tools they need to compete in the 21st century." Access@home will develop over 15,000 affordable rental homes and apartments in communities across the country, including 3,000 units in New York State, over the next five years. Residents in each of these properties will have high-speed digital access and a package of Internet related services from One Economy, including computer purchase vouchers, computer training for residents, and a community-specific "Beehive," a website sponsored by One Economy that provides information about personal finance, health, schools, jobs, childcare, and other services. The $1 billion financing package for access@home includes both low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) investments from NEF and grants and loans from LISC. Organizations already lending their support to access@home include Citigroup, Washington Mutual, Deutsche Bank, and Cisco Systems, Inc. Approximately $200 million of the $1 billion access@home package will be invested in New York State communities. "The quintessential American Dream remains strong today, but the means with which we reach it have changed," said Rey Ramsey, president and CEO of One Economy. "Instead of the traditional encyclopedia or classroom, the vehicles for advancement are a computer and high-speed digital Internet access. With help from our friends and allies in the housing, financial, and technology fields, access@home will help low-income Americans turn their dreams into reality." About LISC Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is dedicated to helping resident-led organizations transform distressed neighborhoods into healthy communities of choice and opportunity - good places to live, do business, work and raise families. Through mobilization of corporate, government, and philanthropic support, LISC has invested more than $6 billion in 300 urban and rural communities nationwide. LISC has helped community development corporations (CDCs) build more than 160,000 affordable homes and 25 million square feet of retail, community, and educational space - totaling nearly $14 billion in development. For more information, please visit Efforts to close the technological gap between America 's haves and have-nots will get a boost this week. Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and its subsidiary the National Equity Fund (NEF) are partnering with One Economy to launch. The initiative expects to connect nearly 100,000 people to the vast advantage of the Internet. LISC/NEF and One Economy will be joined by U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Former Treasury Secretary and LISC chairman Robert E. Rubin, and other local and national dignitaries to unveil this important opportunity for low-income families and communities in New York and across the country on August 8, 2005. The launch event will be held at 11:00 a.m. at La Puerta de Vitalidad, 3103 Third Avenue , Bronx , New York . ------------------------------------- To SUBSCRIBE: send a blank e-mail message to [email protected] To UNSUBSCRIBE: send a blank email message to [email protected] ------------------------------------- These news items and comments are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the CANARIE board or management ----------- [email protected] www.canarie.ca/~bstarn skype: pocketpro SkypeIn: +1 614 441-9603 _______________________________________________ news mailing list [email protected] http://lists.canarie.ca/mailman/listinfo/news