Summary

For most people of the 21st century, the internet has become broadband, due to the slowness of dial-up. Most broadband users generally lack awareness of the amount of non-users. This lack of awareness causes problems because it prevents people from coming up with a collaborative solution. Some rural areas do not possess the signal strength needed to have broadband while other areas lack broadband because of the cost of the infrastructure. This divide has become a serious problem for developing countries, and remains a problem with a large part of the lower income communities and rural areas in the United States. Broadband has become more available, but is still too expensive, or rather unattainable, for some.

Because technology keeps changing and the cost of avoiding being left behind in the Digital Divide has become unbearable, broadband technologies need to start meeting the needs of more individuals. The divide between dial-up and broadband effects not only individuals, but whole communities. Dial-up connections work too slowly for taking online classes, therefore they inhibit people from pursuing educational opportunities. Similarly, dial-up connections inhibit internet banking and e-commerce. Virtually any form of business online cannot be attainable. Communities that lack broadband connectivity lose jobs and population. Ohio business are losing out because they cannot buy and sell with their customers on the internet.

Designers create web pages for broadband users. Big files will either fail to download or will take too long on a dial-up connection. In addition, many users on dial-up do not have the patience to wait for files to download. The expectation of affordability for technology that continues to grow daily has becomes a huge debt builder and problem that stems the continuation of the divide. Because technology keeps changing, people cannot continue trying and succeeding in affording all the new changes that need to be made. As technological advancement increases, those who were behind in the past aren't even traveling on the connecting streets to the information highway. As dial-up connections become obsolete, the technologically advancing world leaves those without broadband access behind, furthering the divisions within the Digital Divide.

The internet has become more than just a widespread entertainment medium. The recent boom in robust multimedia data streaming creates the need for wider bandwidth. Dial-up connection speeds limit access to the utility, becoming a thing of the past. Bandwidth-hungry and multimedia applications push broadband, especially in homes, into the obligatory. Entertainment may be the primary use for some, but those who do not have access still fall behind. Average internet functions such as sending pictures, checking news and sports updates are impossible for homes that lack broadband. Many poor, rural, and ethnic groups cannot obtain this level of access that many of us have taken for granted and use every day.

Many schools struggle to catch up with state higher technology standards leading to a large population of students who have never touched a computer before. A huge problem exists considering that universities today expect students to have some experience in computer technologies. Trimble Middle School, a short drive from Ohio University, struggles to meet state standards and is the poorest school district in the state of Ohio. Trimble Middle School suffers from several problems with the digital divide: parents can't access the Internet at home. A mere 24% of adults in rural Ohio have access to broadband at home. Also, telecommunication companies resist providing DSL to many rural areas since there is a lack of profit. Finally, Trimble Middle School cannot afford to let go of core academic programs to make way for a computer program, putting their students at a disadvantage. There are two keys to bridging the digital divide for Athens county: Access and People. Businesses need to provide Internet access to the area despite the lack of profit and local people scared of technology need motivation toward learning how to use computers.