Spitzer Decries Digital Divide

New York State Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Eliot Spitzer Monday railed against the "digital divide" in the United States, calling for universal, affordable broadband access in New York State as well as the nation as a whole, and contending that "the U.S. is still the only industrialized nation without a plan for promoting broadband access."

Spitzer, speaking at the 2006 Personal Democracy Forum in New York City, said that New York was on the verge of being left behind the rapid pace of technological innovation. "New York, and the U.S., stand at a transition point in our history," he said. "If you're a child in South Korea, your broadband access is ten times faster and half as expensive as a kid in the South Bronx."

Reading off a laundry list of areas where universal broadband access could improve government services and make the standard of living in New York City higher--including public health care, education, e-government, and disaster preparedness--Spitzer said that in the absence of federal leadership, states had to take the initiative on broadband penetration. "Internet access is no longer a luxury--it is a necessity," he said. "The state must do more."

Spitzer stressed that he was not advocating providing free broadband for all New Yorkers, nor was he advocating state-run broadband service providers. He cited Philadelphia's recently announced deal with EarthLink--to provide high-speed wireless access citywide with no initial cost to taxpayers, and a monthly fee of $20 for regular access and $9.95 for low-income households--as a model for how New York State might purchase universal broadband access.

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