At the fifth annual United Nations World Television Forum held last month, government and television industry leaders and experts from every part of the world discussed the role television can and should play in helping to bridge the digital divide. Those who most need the opportunities IT offers are at present the people who know least about them. DeVaan concurred, pointing out that in the United States and certain parts of Asia, household penetration by the PC has risen above 50 percent. However, that number is as low as 14 percent in Eastern European countries and well below 10 percent in most developing nations. Many people in the world cannot afford a personal computer, nor do they have access to one.
Television is an obvious answer.
It is one of the most ubiquitous devices in the home today, DeVaan said, with roughly 1.5 billion TV sets in homes around the world. Compare that to the 400 million PCs in households worldwide, and the solution seems clear. Microsoft has looked at this problem for some time and is actively pursuing ways to bring technology and Internet access to communities around the world. In the United States, Microsoft WebTV also brings the power and richness of the Internet to the TV set. By providing Internet access through a regular television set, information and communication are more accessible to those without personal computers.