Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire
  • omnibus

Wired Less: Disconnected in Urban America
Bill Quigley
15 Apr 2009

by InternetForEveryone.org

Comcast, Verizon, AT&T and other telco giants have spent mad public relations money spreading the myth that the digital divide is a thing of the past.  Some heedless and lazy black bloggers have helped spread this lie, but it's still a lie.  Redlining of and denial of service to poor and minority communities has been a core feature of the business models of the cable industry since its start decades ago, and of the phone companies for more than a century.  But in the 21st century, cheap, available broadband internet is as necessary to economic development as paved streets and roads.  Communities without it will become or remain economic, educational, business and social backwaters.

See, hear and read more stories about the digital divide and what it costs communities, families and lives....

 

America Offline

InternetforEveryone.org is working to shed light on the millions of Americans who live without regular Internet access or lack the training or equipment to get online. A small reporting team is traveling to communities across the country to tell people's stories. Free Press' Megan Tady interviewed residents of Los Angeles, Calif., and Washington, D.C. On this site, you can follow our trek and get an up-close view of America’s urban digital divide

Wired Less: Disconnected in Urban America

A report on life without the Internet in urban Americ.  Five stories, each with video. »

  • Introduction
  • Story One: Offline in L.A.
  • Story Two: A Connection Changes Family’s World
  • Story Three: In Desperate Need of the Net in El Monte
  • Story Four: D.C. Kids Want Internet
  • Story Five: Left Out in the Cold in D.C.

 

The web site of Internet For Everyone contains much more information, and is a frequently updated source of information on the campaign to bring high speed broadband to all our communities.  Do check it out.  If you have a web site or blog, link to it at http://www.internetforeveryone.org/.

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles. Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


More Stories


  •  BAR Book Forum: Mecca Jamilah Sullivan’s “The Poetics of Difference”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Mecca Jamilah Sullivan’s “The Poetics of Difference”
    05 Jan 2022
    In this series, we ask acclaimed authors to answer five questions about their book.
  • The Deadly, Destructive Costs of Ethiopia’s Illusory Independence
    Mark P. Fancher
    The Deadly, Destructive Costs of Ethiopia’s Illusory Independence
    05 Jan 2022
    The mythology of Ethiopian independence is an impediment to understanding the current situation.
  • Frank Chapman joins Margaret Kimberley and Danny Haiphong to discuss his new book Marxist-Leninist Perspectives on Black Liberation and Socialism.
    Danny Haiphong and Margaret Kimberley
    Marxism and Black Liberation w/Frank Chapman
    05 Jan 2022
    Author and organizer Frank Chapman joins Margaret Kimberley and Danny Haiphong to discuss his new book Marxist-Leninist Perspectives on Black Liberation and Socialism.
  • Cuba Defeats Covid-19 with Learning, Science, and Unity
    W.T. Whitney
    Cuba Defeats Covid-19 with Learning, Science, and Unity
    04 Jan 2022
    Despite U.S. sanctions, Cuba has succeeded in treating covid and has developed five different vaccines that are widely accepted by its population.
  • 2021 Latin America and the Caribbean in Review: The Pink Tide Rises Again
    Roger Harris
    2021 Latin America and the Caribbean in Review: The Pink Tide Rises Again
    04 Jan 2022
    In 2021 the peoples of Latin American nations defied Washington by choosing the governments of their choice.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us