If you have not yet created a website but are thinking of doing so, gathering information in advance will help decide how your site will look and how patient-friendly it will be. Although more Americans are getting on line every day, the gap between certain groups of people who have access to the Net and those who don't appears to be widening. A report from the National Technical Information Association predictably found that people living in rural areas and those making less money do not have the same access to the Net as upper-income households or people living in urban areas. Estimates show that although 40 percent of American households were on line last year, there is a growing trend in which whites are on the Net in a much greater percentage than African-Americans, Latinos or those of Asian descent. Until every home can afford access to those resources, however, we need public policies and private initiatives to expand affordable access to those resources.
Money is another factor in internet access.
And the divide between high and low-income users with internet access widened by 29 percent between 1997 and 1998. Providing public access to the internet, they believe, will help groups advance economically and provide them with the technical knowledge to compete in today's changing society. As we enter the Information Age, access to computers and the internet is becoming increasingly vital. It is in everyone's interest to ensure that no American is left behind. Users can also download earlier editions of Falling through the Net and read related reports from the Department of Commerce.