Who has high speed Internet and who doesn’t?
Over the past years, there have been many efforts to increase the number of people on line. This hard work has been somewhat successful—today more than 83 million households are online. But just as some populations are able to join the conversation, technological developments move the goal posts. Because today, being on line isn’t enough, the quality of internet access is just as important. Many people who do have Internet access have slow access via dial up connections over traditional telephone lines. This type of access is like being forced to use a slide rule when others have calculators – sure they can do many of the same things, but at a much slower speed and fewer capabilities. Unfortunately, while broadband access could be a great opportunity to catch up, the groups who are most challenged are also left behind on the Internet. For example, the Pew Center for Internet and American life collects detailed data about American’s use and provided some illustrations based on their sur
