"America Offline:" Stories from the digital divide

[Salsa23PR]

Not having internet is not a very serious matter, for god sakes there are people in the world that don't have enough food to eat and yet these morons think life is a struggle without internet technology.

Give me a fucking break.

[LindaLu80]

As a Msc student - I understand the convenience, but do not agree that the only way for a child to develop their skills well is to have access to the internet at the best speed from home. However it is essential that they learn how to use and apply the technology to their benefit. There is where libraries and schools SHOULD provide them the service and facility when their families cannot afford it... There is nothing wrong with doing your homework from the school's library computer...

[g3f0rc3p0w3r]

for some reason these people remind me of the illegal immigrants that would also benefit from this.

[TexanCyclist]

So let's destroy the roads, illegals might use them. Let's close down the libraries, illegals might use them Let's close down the Federal Reserve Banks...Well, I might be in favor of that!

[sickntired08]

books, have info in them too..

[intrascoobz]

Yes. I said that too! My professor friend talked me into it. It was unaffordable & he pitched 1/2 the monies. The library has 30minutes tops to use it & their friends' parents would roll up their eyes when my children would show up to use theirs 1 -2 many times. I didn't realize their day 2 day stress of them finding their way to a computer to get things done. I didn't understand! My 3rd child had earlier access by age 9. Now honor society & studying sciences overseas. I am researching this!

[CheekyMonkey888]

It is not the State's purpose to provide services. If you go down that road you will find it has no end.

[TexanCyclist]

Interstate highway, rural electrification, telephone services, & railroads ALL come via guv support & subsidy. Why? To lift the nation as a whole & for the benefit of all of us.

Have you never heard about strength in numbers? It's not a catch phrase, it's a fact.

[GretchenDawntreader]

I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say there's a "right" to high speed internet, or cable tv, or any other "convenience." It's nice, I mean cars are nice, but I don't have one.

There was a day waaay back when kids did their homework with their parents and at the library. Using books. Or they had to pay attention in class instead of txting all day.

Googling your homework isn't really learning.

[TexanCyclist]

The diff between a net connect(12.7 kbs) & hi speed (125 to 180 kbs) is I can have a face to face w/my kids cross country, watch movies & news & do business real time. A land line here in the sticks is laughable. But I have to pay $85 a month for slow hi-speed that quits when it rains (sat.)

So take part of MY tax money & bring me a fiber. AT&T & MCI got big subsidies to lay optics 1/2 mile from me. Now, finish the job! Gas tax for roads, phone tax for communication.

[g3f0rc3p0w3r]

I don't even have fiber optic. Now, why would I want to pay for yours? Dsl can be used on existing phone lines, and goes up to 7 Mbps. how about you opt for that instead of having uncle sam foot the cost of 60 Mbps fios internet. and no, you can't have a video chat at 120 kbps. you probably could at 120 KBps, which if you are familiar with bytes is 8 times more data per second than the former. 120 kbps might as well be dailup.

BTW, slow high speed is an oxymoron.

[TexanCyclist]

For DSL you have to be within 3 miles of a sub station. I'm 9 miles from nearest.

Uncle already paid to lay fiber (to both SW Bell & MCI & they used the same ditch) less than 1/2 mile from my house with the understanding that rural customers would be served. 15 years still waiting even w/a portal 3/8ths mile from me.

Satellite service offers 3 tiers of service, slow, medium, & high. Criticizing terminology when lacking facts is oxymoronic. I've been programming since'70. You?

[whoo689]

Do these families at least have computers, or do they not have neither?? The video here isn't clear!! Tell us. If the families have computers of their own, I don't see why they can't pitch in for another 20 bucks a month for Internet. This is just silly. Internet is so much cheaper than when it started, so it shouldn't be that hard to afford it. I don't see the problem. It's making a mountain out of a molehill. Are we to expect EVERYONE to have access to something? It's a capitalist soc.

[whoo689]

"I can't afford healthcare, therefore it's a right." "I can't afford a house, therefore the government should get me a no-down-payment loan when I have no credit and can't possibly pay it back." It's ludicrous! People who are middle and upper class never say "such and such is a right" b/c they can generally afford these expenses. It's not a right just b/c you can't afford it. What kind of moronic thinking is that? You could classify almost anything into that "right" category.

[whoo689]

Internet access in your house is not TOTALLY necessary still. Sure, email and other things are more convenient than doing it the regular way, but you can't not survive without Internet. This is just silly. "America Offline"? What a joke. Don't waste your time, Free Press.

This is as much a social justice story as every person not having at least 4 cars. If the poor people could just get training for high-paying jobs, they could AFFORD Internet! What a novel idea, eh? Instead of gov't.

[whoo689]

Instead of just saying "Government has to subsidize it." The welfare state is big enough as it is. I'm a progressive, but there are limits, and we shouldn't spend ourselves to oblivion. We have to spend wisely. I'm sure there are plenty of failed welfare programs that could be cut, and resources could better be focused elsewhere. Let's try doing that before we spend MORE money for internet for all.

You ever notice how it's always the poor who say "such-and-such is a right"? It's silly.

[whoo689]

Uh, maam, the family in the first 15 seconds has SIX KIDS!! Of course it's gonna be hard to afford Internet on top of living expenses, esp. for lower-income folks. But don't act like it's impossible for people with lower-incomes to afford it. Hell, I could afford at least dialup

Liberals have gone from talking about universal health care and social security to trying to mandate Internet access for the poor. Goddamit. Not everything is a right just b/c some people can't afford it.

[mrtdot]

u can get the internet for 10 dollars a month, it's slow, but it still works... and u can get netbooks for 3 or 4 hundred. which ain't cheap but i'm sure if that whole family chipped in they could afford one

[whoo689]

Exactly. There's no excuse for a family not having Internet, except if they have 6 kids like the first family. I don't think a family of six kids is the best example of a "social justice story" here. Maybe if they'd stop fucking or go to college and make some more money they could afford it.

[jakersvlog]

i think it'd be nice if everyone had internet, but we got to get our priorities straight. there are people without homes and without health care - that's more important than the internet.

[SCX2k]

who would ever imagine that having no internet means being disconnected and being usually poor

when i got internet it was rare and many claimed they wont need it