An Analysis of Computer and Telephone Usage in the New York City Metropolitan Area

Computers and telephones were little used when first invented because they were too rudimentary or expensive to use. Improvements in the computer and telephone have made them easier and less expensive to use. Now, many people have a telephone and a computer to use in their daily lives (NTIA, 1999). Although computers and telephones are in abundance in today (Post & Anderson, 2001; Vago, 1999), still some people do not have access to a telephone or a computer either by choice or lack of means, and these people are left in the dark and this is a social problem (NTIA, 1999; NTIA, 2000).

This problem exists in the northeastern region of the United States including the New York City metropolitan area (NTIA, 1999), where this researcher’s study was conducted. There are several examples of this lack of access and usage of the computer and telephone. Some people do not get access to services and opportunities being offered by companies, the government, and other organizations being offered through usage of the computer, the telephone, and usage of the computer and telephone together, the Internet. Computer and telephone manufacturers are building more and more computers and telephones to make information available to the entire population and the problem is that this information is not reaching everyone.

Conhaim (2000, pp. 5-6) stated that a debate is raging about the digital divide, the gap between "haves" and "have-nots" in the fast-moving, globally interlinked, computerized world. The problem as seen by U.S. government officials, community groups, and businesses is that anyone who is not at least computer literate or who is without access to online communications at home or work is not prepared to be fully engaged in the 21^st century economy. Minority populations, low-income groups, and rural residents are mostly those left out of the system, according to the early studies cited by Conhaim (2000), done by such organizations as the National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce, which published its first report in 1994. The public library community reports that it now provides Internet access in 73% of its systems, up from 28% in 1996.

Other early efforts cited by Conhaim (2000) were by organizations such as Apple Computer, which for the last 20 years has issued Community Networking and Education Grants of equipment and training. The Aspen Institute, the Markle Foundation, the Benton Foundation, and the Ford Foundation, have been examining and supporting projects on the digital divide since the early 1980s when personal computers first became available in the consumer and commercial marketplace. Another relevant organization is the Alliance for Public Technology, a membership organization whose main concern is updating the definition of universal access from the telephone era to the digital age.

The National Urban League issued its first report on the gap between computer literacy and employment among African-Americans and other groups in the early 1980s. Together with the Benton Foundation, the National Urban League published its first report on low-income opportunities in the Information Age. Vice President Al Gore made famous the term "digital divide" in 1996, and it was a major issue in the 2000 presidential election. President Clinton featured the issue in his State of the Union message in January 2000. President Clinton explained that as more business transactions move to the Internet, commercial organizations need to know who is online, who is missing, and why. Some research organizations that have been tracking online and Internet usage patterns are New York-based Jupiter Communications and Boston-based Forrester Research.

Conhaim (2000) explained that not only the lack of physical access to computers and the Internet at home or at work is the problem, but a more widespread condition of some people simply not having the information skills necessary to flourish in a digital society. More than an equity and education issue, it has become an economic issue since some communities are left out of the U.S. growth economy for lack of computer and network access and skills. Conhaim further explained that the nation’s technical infrastructure is growing faster than its ability to train people to fill needed jobs. According to the U.S. Commerce Department (Conhaim, 2000) nearly 1 million technical jobs in the U.S. remain unfilled for lack of trained American workers, and companies must outsource technical work to workers abroad or invite trained foreign nationals to take unfilled jobs here.

Armstrong (2000, pp. 92-94) similarly stated that a consequence of the technology revolution that governments are struggling with is the digital divide, which Armstrong defines as the disenfranchisement of rural and poor populations as governments deliver more and more services electronically. The disparity in access to computing and telecommunications threatens to cut off those who most need help. The government’s solution has been to seek help from the private sector. One promising approach has been to create community technology centers where young people and adults can take classes or reserve computers for personal use at the center.

Daley (1999, pp. 25, 27) in a similar vein stated that one third of America’s economic growth in recent years has come from information technologies. E-commerce is growing faster than even the most optimistic forecasts. What is important is how the Internet is changing American life. The NTIA (1999) study points out that not enough Americans of African descent own computers. Many do not even have access to the Internet. All this is creating a digital divide. Without enough skilled people from all walks of life, the U.S. is at risk of letting a 21^st century opportunity become a 21^st century social problem.