When I started this blog, I wanted a place where we could share ideas and get support from each other. One of my readers started a petition in the White House website, and I am hereby supporting her on this effort.

In almost every country in the world, we have a large number of people that do not have access to the Internet; in US more than 20% of the total population is not connected yet. We call it the digital divide, and it is one of the challenges of this century.

Being connected today is much more than just having fun and accessing facebook or twitter. It is a way to find proper online training, like Kahn Academy or free courses offered by top universities. Remote education is available in several countries, with formal degrees and certificates. Almost all jobs searches now are done through the Internet, with recruiters relying heavily not only on the applicant’s C.V., but also on information available online. In countries like Brazil, over 99% of all Tax Returns are done online. Preservation of languages and cultures is done online today.

Additionally, the reduction of the digital divide has a direct impact in a country’s economic growth: a ten percent growth in broadband penetration accelerates economic growth by 1.38 percent.

Supporting the digital inclusion efforts is critical, so I am asking for your support by signing the online petition available at the White House website:  “Provide Opportunities to Close the Digital Divide for all Americans.”.

If you live in USA and are a citizen, take a few seconds to add your signature to the petition and pass the information to your friends. Every vote counts, as 100.000 are necessary to reach the required threshold. If you are not an American, please forward this message to someone that can sign the petition. I really appreciate the support.

Thanks,

Caetano Notari

Recommended Reading:

How can we use mobile money to serve the unbanked?

United Nations: Internet Access is a human right.

Tagged as: digital divide, Digital Inclusion, internet