Monday, May 21, 2012

Technology Convergence May Widen the Digital Divide

"Technology convergence may widen the digital divide." LIVE (Penn State University website), May 17, 2012.

From the article: "Technology is helping communication companies merge telephone, television and Internet services, but a push to deregulate may leave some customers on the wrong side of the digital divide during this convergence, according to a Penn State telecommunications researcher…. Telephone companies are lobbying for government regulators to free them of their traditional role as a public utility, citing the convergence and availability of new communication technologies, such as cellular phones and fiber optic cable, that make copper-based telephone land lines obsolete, according to Frieden. However, not all these alternatives are as affordable and as ubiquitous as copper landlines, a problem that could leave many rural residents underserved, he said." Read more

See also
The End of the Phone System, an event sponsored by Wharton - University of Pennsylvania,
Penn State, Fordham University and Mack Center for Technological Innovation, May 16, 2012.