Duncan Urges Council to Take Action Soon to Bridge the Digital Divide

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Contact: Donna Bigler, 240-777-6537
For Immediate Release: October 24, 2000

Duncan Urges Council to
Take Action Soon to
Bridge the Digital Divide

County Executive Douglas M. Duncan today urged the County Council to take action immediately on a proposal that has been languishing since May to address the growing divide between those who have computers and Internet access and those who do not. He called the digital divide "one of the most important economic and social justice issues of our time," commended the Council for holding a public forum to discuss the issue, but implored them to act now.

"Last May, I sent the Council a proposal for a $6.5 million public/private partnership that will bring computers, training, Internet access and job placement services directly to some of the County's neediest residents, and will serve as a model for other programs to help bridge the digital divide in our community," Duncan wrote in a memorandum to Council President Michael Subin and Management and Fiscal Policy (MFP) Committee Chair Marilyn Praisner. "While I strongly support your desire to look at this from a global perspective, I also believe that we should not let opportunities to help close this technological gap slip away as we search for a perfect solution."

Duncan's proposal for a three-and-a-half year pilot program is designed to serve as a model for additional programs that would help level the educational playing field between at-risk youth and their more affluent peers, and would train adults to take on better paying jobs in the high-tech corridor and elsewhere. The program would significantly expand current County efforts, which include more than 330 public access computers in 21 County libraries; computer classes through the County's Department of Health and Human Services' "Rewarding Work" initiative, senior centers, the Wheaton Urban District Small Business Technology and Training Center, and the Community Use of Public Facilities' after-school and English as a second language programs. In addition, programs such as the Scotland Community computer project -- enabling children, regardless of income, to have access to computers and become computer-literate -- are helping to bridge the divide.

The pilot program would provide two new computer resource facilities, serving more than 1,100 households with training classes for unemployed and underemployed adults and after-school homework and vacation programs for students. The pilot would also bring fiber-optic telecommunications and broad-band technology services directly into the homes of 230 families in two housing complexes operated by the Housing Opportunities Commission. Since both rental housing sites are currently undergoing major renovations, it would be easier and far less costly to install the necessary wiring for new technology during construction.

Nearly half of the cost of the program would be borne by private partners such as Microsoft Corporation, Montgomery County Chamber-Workforce Corporation, and member businesses of the High Technology Council of Maryland, with educational and technical assistance from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University.

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