Access

[Bob Carlitz <bob@info-ren.org>]

Today's questions focus on how communities can build capacity for
environmental descision making.  What about access at the community level?
Is it good enough?  Is there equity of access?  And, if not, what should be
done?

The E-rate program is putting billions of dollars into telecommunications
services for schools and libraries. As a result, most schools and libraries
are now online.  Do those online connections translate into easy access for
the general public?  Where do you and members of your community go for
access to the Internet?  Are there enough public access sites?  Are they
close enough to where you live?  Are they open at convenient hours?  Is
there adequate user support at these sites?  Should school and library
access points be supplemented by other public access sites - at post
offices or court houses, in housing projects or on street corners or bus
stops?

Is access vastly different for urban and rural residents?  Are we evolving
two tiers of access - one for people with home computers and increasingly
fast network connections, and another for people who must rely upon public
sites?

Bob Carlitz