Equality in the information age.

• Author: Kennard, William E.

Anatole France once observed "the law, in its majestic equality, forbids all men to sleep under bridges ... the rich as well as the poor" Such a stunted idea of equality neither served those who slept under bridges in the early twentieth century nor will it serve those children and communities stranded on the roadside of the Information Highway in the next century. Just as the railroads and interstates were the backbone of commerce, job growth, and prosperity in this century, the networks of information form the backbone of the next. We are enjoying the longest peacetime expansion of our economy, and this prosperity is directly linked to the rise of the information technology sector. Indeed, it is estimated that one-quarter of our economic growth has come from this sector of our economy.

Yet the technologies, skills, and infrastructure underpinning this growth have not yet reached all Americans. There exists a "digital divide," separating the technological haves and have-nots, dividing those with on-ramps onto the Information Highway from those forced to live in its shadows.

This digital divide is defined not only by inequality in access to technology but also unequal access to opportunities to participate in the ownership and management of these vital companies. As technology restructures our economy for the Information Age, we must find ways to ensure that technology is a force that unites and uplifts us as a nation, rather than a force that divides. That is why I believe that the contributions in this issue of the Federal Communications Law Journal are so important and timely.

1. ACCESS TO THE TOOLS OF LEARNING

   The issues discussed on the pages of this journal principally concern the lives of those not yet old enough to read it: children--the first citizens of the new millennium. The issue of access to new technology will also determine the steps of every worker on each rung of the socioeconomic ladder. It is clear that in the next century, those who are literate in computer languages and familiar with new technologies will succeed, and those who are not, will not.

   The high-skilled, well-paid jobs of tomorrow demand the ability to use computers and telecommunications. By next year, it is estimated that 60 percent of all jobs will require technical skills that most Americans do not have, and the workers in these jobs earn wages that are on average 10 to 15 percent more than those of other workers. In the New Economy, every child without...