WASHINGTON (PRNewswire) – A new study released by the US Internet Industry Association disputes widely accepted perceptions of minorities as second-tier Internet users. In fact, it shows English-speaking minority groups to be leading the nation in the adoption of modern communications technology.
Research presented by David P. McClure, president and CEO of the USIIA, found that the rapidly evolving role of the Internet in American society is much more inclusive than previously imagined. The Internet has moved from “being a tool of the intellectual and technological elite to a tool used extensively by all segments of the US population, even by some once perceived as disenfranchised and disconnected.” Among the study’s findings:
* Ethnic minorities are among the heaviest subscribers to all IP services (especially bundled services), making them a key target group for service providers.
* The “racial” digital divide is rapidly closing as ethnic minorities embrace both broadband Internet and video services. Differences in adoption and utilization rates for IP services are more dependent on education, income, geographic location, age and fluency in English than on ethnic background.
* More than 90% of English-speaking Asian-Americans and 80% of English-speaking Hispanics regularly use IP and broadband services, significantly out-pacing white Americans.
“The evidence of these trends differs from conventional wisdom, and has significant implications for the public policy debates surrounding franchise reform for video services, and the glibly-named but misunderstood ‘Network Neutrality,'” says McClure. He points out it is critical that policy makers move cautiously before committing to courses of action that could possibly damage rather than enhance the way and pace at which new technologies can serve all segments of the population.
Anti-“Redlining” caveats and network deployment requirements are cited as two examples of misguided policies based on the erroneous assumption that service providers would bypass ethnic or low-income neighborhoods to concentrate on more affluent white areas. McClure writes, “It is important that public policy initiatives reinforce and support ways to increase investment in IP and broadband services, in order to increase customer choice.”
The USIIA was formed in 1994 and has become the primary trade association for companies engaged in Internet commerce, content and connectivity. McClure has an educational background in technology, education and business, and has dealt extensively with issues concerning the Internet, computing, aerospace and environmental services. He is widely published on technical and business topics and is the author of more than 20 white papers on Internet and Broadband policy, governance and economics.
