The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“GROWING DIGITAL DIVIDE” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1889-E1890 on Sept. 15, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
GROWING DIGITAL DIVIDE
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HON. JOHN B. LARSON
of connecticut
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, September 15, 1999
Mr. LARSON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to draw attention to our nation's growing digital divide. The nation's economy is surging to unprecedented levels. The productivity of small business start-ups, driven by technology and American ingenuity, is bursting with entrepreneurial capital and the creation of unparalleled wealth.
Yet amidst the euphoria, there is growing concern about the alarming trend of limited access to the benefits of this ``digit'' economy.
In its July report, ``Falling Through The Net,'' the Department of Commerce confirmed these fears about the information ``haves'' and
``have nots'' citing a persisting ``digital divide'' between the information rich and the information poor. A divide characterized by a disparity of race, gender, wealth and geography that grows disturbingly further apart.
The great irony of this technology enterprise is that it's running out of a vital fuel source: skilled workers. American corporations are now in the position of asking Congress to help import a workforce from foreign countries.
Congress needs to reinforce a crucial pipeline for this needed fuel so that our technological enterprises can feel secure in their ability to grow. That pipeline has been and continues to be public education. Unfortunately, the pipeline is clogged because our policies are floundering with piecemeal, patch-worked solutions instead of a solidly constructed plan. We cannot meet the demands of a digital economy, with inadequate infrastructure, untrained teachers, resistant universities, indecisive government, and a private sector that thinks donating its old computers is the solution to the problem.
Congress must recognize a fundamental need to rethink how we deliver education in our classrooms. It needs to light up the desktops of our students and the blackboards of their teachers, and provide students with the training and skills they need to be contributing members of our future workforce. Specifically, it needs to bring the information superhighway into our schools and libraries, giving students the opportunity to participate in the global economy.
In order for this opportunity to be seized by Congress, it will take more than a thirty second sound bite. It will require a long term plan.
Congress must forge a new alliance of the nation's talented technological sector and leading academic and government agencies, to develop a strategic plan with appropriate implementation bench marks. The information infrastructure needed for classrooms and public libraries must be examined to ensure that it provides the most efficient and cost effective results. Yet, we must also realize that while a high-tech education system is critical, it won't work without trained professionals.
As a parent of three and a former teacher, I understand that no act of Congress ever reads to a child at night, tucks him in, or offers him the kind of nurturing growth that comes from caring parents. Similarly, no piece of technology can replace a highly trained teacher. There can be no high tech, without high touch.
According to U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley, over the next 10 years, this country will need two million new teachers. These new teachers must be digitally fluent and prepared to integrate technology into their daily lesson plans and curriculum. Our colleges and universities must be prepared to provide this outcome, and Congress must be prepared to provide incentives. These incentives would include tax credits for equipment purchases, tuition credits to acquire new skills, and incentives for business to buddy with teachers and adopt schools.
The third component of how Congress can integrate high-tech learning into our society, relates to creating a civic culture that will encourage young people with computer talent to share their knowledge with their community. The best way to make that happen will be through a youth technology corps.
A national tech corps starting in the fifth grade and continuing through high school, this youth technology corps will be of technological service to its peers and adults, and expose young people to the importance of community service. Learning the important lesson that serving is as important as being served.
Congress has a responsibility to leave no one behind in the digital economy. It must provide the opportunities needed to help Americans attain personal and financial security in a global economy. It can make this happen, or it can be remembered as the Congress that squandered an unprecedented educational moment.
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