Internet Access for All

The economic recession has a ripple effect that is far reaching. According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau, 40% of all U.S. homes don't have Internet connection. It also includes those homes that use dial up technology. In hard financial times, many household will eliminate hi- tech Internet connections and /or purchasing a computer as part of the budget plan. Yet most transactions are encouraged to be paperless from college applications to email. To send correspondences by U.S. Post Office is considered "snail mail." Most applications today ask for an email address. Newspapers, magazines, libraries, research, medical records, shopping and much more is on the Internet. Lack of access to the Internet could seriously handicap a young student or older adult. People panic when they can't print their boarding pass. Yet there are households that have to get to a library, community center, school or church to use a computer. This task may not be too difficult where there is public transportation or ready access to computers. In rural areas or towns with poor or no public transportation, individuals may have to wait to car pool.

According to Net History the electronic networks began with the telegraph system. The first line was built in 1844 from Washington to Baltimore. By 1858 a transatlantic cable was in place, and by 1861 telegraph wires covered the USA. It was thought the telegraph system would be good for people talking to each other. From that concept the telephone grew. The telephone stuck as the central purpose of these networks, but by the 1980s we were beginning to see some other uses for networks emerge. In only 150 years, the telegraph network infrastructure had become the biggest single connected construction in the world. This is the physical infrastructure on which the Internet was built, and on which it now relies. The infrastructure explains the historical role of telecommunications companies in the Internet. They control the infrastructure the Internet used for distance communication. No access to telephone or cable, no Internet. Homes without landlines or cable are at a disadvantage.

President-elect Barack Obama has some good ideas. He's made widespread broadband deployment a major component of his technology agenda; his platform pledges to achieve this goal through reforms such as better use of the nation's wireless spectrum. The birthplace of the Internet, the United States now ranks higher than 15th in world rankings of broadband adoption, according to the International Telecommunications Union.

Internet for Everyone states that open Internet access makes free speech a reality for everyone. The Internet has changed all that, delivering the press, and in theory, its freedoms to any person with a good idea and a connection. High-speed Internet access can connect people and communities that might not otherwise interact. Unfortunately, broadband's promise is not being realized equally across all racial and ethnic groups in our country. Only 40 % of racial and ethnic minority households have access to broadband, while 55 % of non-Hispanic white households are connected. Putting America back on top and bringing open, high-quality, affordable Internet connections into every home will require a comprehensive and innovative approach. High-speed Internet is no longer a luxury - it's a public necessity.

In its July 2008 press release, Internet for Everyone Has support from several other groups seeking more Internet access: these grassroots groups include: Appalshop, The Center for Media Justice, The Center for Rural Strategies, The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, Main Street Project, Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Media Alliance, Media Mobilizing Project, Native Public Media, New Mexico Media Literacy Project, People's Production House, Reclaim the Media, Texas Media Empowerment Project, The Media Justice Fund, The Praxis Project, The United Church of Christ, Office of Communication, Inc., and Twin Cities Media Alliance. They join more than 75 other consumer groups, technology industry leaders, educators and labor unions that have joined the initiative.