Combating the Digital Divide in a High-Tech City

IDG writer and TechSoup contributor Agam Shah has an article on InfoWorld, Networking Across the Digital Divide, that takes a look at digital inclusion programs around San Francisco. One of the organizations profiled in the article is Community Technology Network, where TechSoup's Kami Griffiths serves as a director. The article helps underscore the importance of such programs, especially in a city where the topic of the digital divide can fall under the radar.

San Francisco may have a reputation as a technology-savvy city, but many communities and neighborhoods face disadvantages in accessing and learning about technology, according to a June 2007 study by the University of California, Berkeley.

Access to technology is substantially below average for San Franciscans earning less than $10,000 up to $25,000 per year, the study said. There is also a big technology gap for the large numbers of residents who speak only Spanish or Chinese.

For a wired city like San Francisco, such a wide technology gap can easily go unnoticed, said Kami Griffiths, project director for Community Technology Network, an umbrella organization of individuals and nonprofits that aims to build technology capacity for San Francisco's disadvantaged community.

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