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<p>Actually, it did come to pass. </p>
<p>However, the digital have-nots are mostly invisible to most of us with computer/ISP access. Even in NYC, I still see and know of people who don’t have a computer period, much less basic internet access. And relying on public libraries even in urban areas with decent infrastructure is problematic, especially when municipalities are short of funds as this causes curtailed hours or even total shutdown of smaller branches. </p>
<p>As I said before, I’ve given away nearly 2 dozen older computers perfectly usable for office applications and basic internet access for job applications over the last 10+ years. Keep in mind that while $100-300 may not feel like a lot, to many struggling families…that $100-300 may as well as be an unattainable astronomical sum because every cent they have goes to absolute basics like rent, food, etc. </p>
<p>Also, it’s much worse in remote rural regions of our country where telecom infrastructure is extremely limited due to the remoteness combined with lack of population density with a critical mass of higher SES residents. </p>
<p>This means private ISPs don’t find it economically worthwhile to run infrastructure to support internet services and local governments don’t have the tax base or support from state/Federal governments to remedy this issue. In some cases, even getting viable dialup connections in these areas is a serious issue as the phone line infrastructure may be several decades old and cannot reliably even support dialup modem connections. </p>