23 March, 2008

Internet access

Many times a year I read articles how the poor are unable to connect to the internet and how this is holding them back. Maybe.
Facts: Reference American Journal of Health Education of all things. I am a lifetime member of AAHPER. I review professional literature because my organizations follow scientific research protocols. On page 109 of the March/April copy, Access Speed Disparities, 2005 are printed. There appears to be a significant difference between those who live in a Household making $30,000 or less vs $30,000-49,999 and higher. The breakdown between Dial-up and Broadband appears to be evenly split in each group that has access except the Age 65+ group! The average access appears to be about 75% overall.
What was not surveyed was: what was done on the computer(s).

Personally, I finished about twenty FEMA courses on the free EMI site.
I also just recently passed my FAA Private Pilot Knowledge test which took about three months of home study for a cost of $16.
The web site is free to take practise tests here.

Now I wonder what people in the $30,000 HH are doing with their Broadband access?