$3.7 Million To Bridge The New Digital Divide

The US Commerce Department is putting money directly into Latino communities across the country to bridge the new digital divide. We’ve written about this at News Taco; Latinos access the Internet mostly through their mobile devices, but those devices aren’t conducive to economic advancement, like filling out job applications or running a business.

So, according to a report in The Hill:

The Commerce Department allotted $3.7 million to a project organized by a Latino group and an economic development organization. The project will open bilingual, community computer centers in thirteen cities.

Money for this project comes from President Obama’s recovery act, and it’s seen as an economic generator. According to The Hill report, Ann Gomez, an official at the telecom arm of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, said:

“High-speed Internet access is key to economic growth and opportunity in today’s economy, but too many people are on the wrong side of the digital divide. This Recovery Act project will deliver education and job-creation benefits to Latinos across the country and help empower Hispanic entrepreneurs to compete and succeed in today’s 21st century digital economy.”

I think the investment is well past-due.

Follow Victor Landa on Twitter: @vlanda

[Photo by Anna Carol]