IRVING TO RELEASE COMPREHENSIVE REPORT ON THE INFORMATION "HAVE NOTS" AT
TODAY'S NARUC MEETING

WASHINGTON, DC -- Americans, particularly minorities, living in rural areas
and in our nation's inner cities are the least likely to have access to
the information superhighway, according to a report released today by the
Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA). The report coincides with an increased focus in
Washington, and at the state and local level, on how to prevent us from
becoming a nation divided among information "haves" and "have nots."

Larry Irving, assistant secretary of Commerce for communications and
information and administrator of NTIA, released the data at the summer
meeting of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
(NARUC) in San Francisco, California today. The report, Falling Through
the Net, contains the most recent and comprehensive Census data available
on telephone penetration and computer and modem ownership and use.

Among its most significant findings are:

* Inner-city households in the Northeast United States have the lowest
penetration of telephone subscribers in the nation

* Rural poor are the least likely to own computers or modems

* African American households in inner cities rank at the bottom of
computer ownership among racial groups

Also significant was the discovery that persons with lower income and less
education are more likely to use computers with modems to look for jobs
and take classes than wealthy, educated persons who own computers with
modems.

"We hope that the report will help clarify who the information 'have nots'
are and where they live," said Irving. "We also want people to know that
the technology is empowering -- people really do use it to improve their
lives," said Irving.

"Falling Through the Net underscores the importance of the Clinton
Administration's goal to assure that all Americans have access to the
National Information Infrastructure (NII)," said Irving. "To achieve this
goal in the short term, we recommend that the public and private sector
join efforts to make sure that this technology is available in community
access centers in underserved areas."

In March 1995, Secretary of Commerce Ronald H. Brown and Acting Secretary
of Agriculture Richard Rominger announced a public education campaign to
urge Americans to "Get Connected to the Information Age." For more
information, call 1-800-NII-8818.

NTIA's Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program
(TIIAP) awards matching funds to schools, libraries, health care
organizations, and other non-profit and state and local government
entities to provide access to the information superhighway in underserved
communities. In addition, NTIA recently released a report, Connecting the
Nation: Classrooms, Libraries and Health Care Organizations in the
Information Age, that discusses the status of connectivity to the National
Information Infrastructure (NII).

The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information
Administration serves as the principal advisor to the President, Vice
President and Secretary of Commerce on domestic and international
communications and information issues and represents the Executive Branch
before the Congress, other Federal agencies, foreign governments and
international organizations.

Information on NTIA's grant program and NTIA reports are available via
Internet at gopher.ntia.doc.gov and www.ntia.doc.gov. To arrange courier
pick-up or to have copy mailed to you, call Tia Hastie, NTIA Office of
Public Affairs, at 202-482-1551.
 
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