Friday, July 09, 1999
Gap yawns between whites, black on Net
Study finds income not the only factor
BY TED BRIDIS
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The disparity on the Internet between whites and black and Hispanic Americans is growing toward a “racial ravine,” in many cases even after accounting for differences in income, a new government report said Thursday.
The Commerce Department's latest survey, “Falling Through the Net,” showed dramatic gains in the number of Americans who own com puters and use the Internet. But it also cited money, education and whether a person lives in an urban area as key factors affecting whether they use technology.
“The Net is increasingly becoming part of our national heritage — for some people,” said Larry Irving, a Commerce undersecretary and President Clinton's top telecommunications adviser.
Most troubling for government experts were indications these disparities can't be blamed solely on differences in income. Among families earning $15,000 to $35,000, for example, more than 33 percent of whites owned computers, while 19 percent of blacks did — and that gap has widened nearly 62 percent since 1994 despite plunging computer prices.
“Even when holding income constant, there is still a yawning divide among different races and origins,” the report said, warning of a society in which “the "haves' have only become more information-rich ... while the "have-nots' are lagging even further behind.”
Sheila Ruffin of Columbia, Mo., who is black, bought a computer for her family two months ago because she believed her four daughters needed Internet access to succeed in school. But the costs were steep: her new computer, monthly telephone charges, monthly Internet fees.
“Black children are already behind, already at a disadvantage,” Mrs. Ruffin said. “If everyone else is on the Internet, getting an advantage, then black children need access. ... (But) I don't see many black parents understanding the importance of it. They have other things more important on their minds.”
The government survey also foundthat as income rises, the likelihood of PC ownership and Internet use also rises. Families with incomes above $75,000 were more than five times as likely to own a computer at home and 10 times more likely to have Internet access than families who earned less than $10,000.
And the gaps in computer ownership and Internet use narrowed between white families and blacks and Hispanics earning more than $50,000.
“There is a way to buy your way out,” Mr. Irving said, adding that falling computer prices will continue to help.
The report, the third such survey by the government since 1995, did not suggest specific ways to encourage Internet use or computer ownership except to recommend continuing to provide online access at community centers, such as schools and libraries.
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