The prediction, in brief:

With time, funding, and continued promotion of universal service goals by the Administration, the number of community-based public access network services and connected libraries could rapidly increase. However, unless a certain level of literacy skills in the use of networked information have been attained by the general population, access will be of limited benefit.

Predictor: Civille, Richard

Prediction, in context:

The 1995 book “Public Access to the Internet,” edited by Brian Kahin and James Keller carries the chapter, “The Internet and the Poor” by Richard Civille, executive director of the Center for Civic Networking, a non-profit organization dedicated to the application of information infrastructure to community and economic development. He writes:”The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the Department of Commerce, has awarded close to 100 Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program grants in 1994. About 30 percent of the grants supported community-information service activities … With only modest scaling, these public-access network services could easily be providing low-cost access to the National Information Infrastructure to millions of individuals within five years. Because they are matching grants, they leverage substantial local partnership participation and investment as well … With time, funding, and continued promotion of universal service goals by the Administration, the number of community-based public access network services and connected libraries could rapidly increase. However, unless a certain level of literacy skills in the use of networked information have been attained by the general population, access will be of limited benefit.”

Date of prediction: January 1, 1995

Topic of prediction: Controversial Issues

Subtopic: Digital Divide

Name of publication: Public Access to the Internet (book)

Title, headline, chapter name: The Internet and the Poor

Quote Type: Direct quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Pages 200, 201

This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Guarino, Jennifer Anne