Bridging the divide | Technology for Humanity

Building Human and Social Capital By Connecting the Disconnected

Bridging the divide
Northbrook's Vass is an Internet service provider but his passion is for building bridges - the technological kind. He wants to help minorities and people with disabilities plug into the Internet. "I started looking at how technology impacts the differences between the 'haves' and 'have-nots' and I thought about the lack of Internet access for minorities - particularly blacks and Hispanics - and the disabled." President of Northshore InfoRamp, Inc., Vass teamed up with a number of like-minded business and community leaders to found The Digital Opportunity Coalition. "We want to take the Internet to places that don't have it." The group is setting up community technology centers where minorities and the disabled can learn how to navigate the Internet. The coalition also solicits donations of used computers from corporations and recycles the equipment for the community centers, with help from the Jim Mullen Foundation, named for the Chicago police officer paralyzed in the line of duty. Vass also hopes to bring more computers into homes in low-income neighborhoods.

Perfect Partnership
The son of Holocaust survivors, Vass says he's eager to make a difference in the world. "The children of Holocaust survivors always want to try to fix things. If you empower people, it builds human capital." He also believes corporations that provide trainers and used computers also stand to benefit from an increase in skilled potential employees. For more information, call Vass at 847.909.7500 or see www.docillinois.com. Vass and his wife Judy, have three children. He is on the board of Am Shalom Synagogue.

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Issue 2 Illinois Broadband Technology News & Updates July 15, 2008
A compendium of broadband-technology news and views.

$199 computer could crack 'digital divide'
Price reflects Wal-Mart's purchasing power and manufacturer's use of open-source software

Public Act 095-0684
This Act may be cited as the High Speed Internet Services and Information Technology Act

Ten Tips for Donating a Computer -- How to donate your used equipment
As more companies, organizations, and individuals find reasons to upgrade their computers, the problem of how to safely discard used equipment continues to amplify.

Japan's Warp-Speed Ride to Internet Future
Broadband service here is eight to 30 times as fast as in the United States -- and considerably cheaper. Japan has the world's fastest Internet connections, delivering more data at a lower cost than anywhere else, recent studies show.

City disconnecting from Wi-Fi vision
Chicago is curtailing its digital dreams, deciding to back away from municipal Wi-Fi service after failing to reach agreement with either of two companies that sought to build a wireless Internet network in the city.

Digital Divide is Wrong Battle Cry
CHICAGO – When will people realize that the network infrastructure of the U.S. is not a drum for socialism but a much more critical instrument to strategically position and sustain the country in the world economy?

States Must Become More Conscious of Connectivity
CHICAGO – You must have a solid infrastructure on which to build a 21st century economy. Having a good infrastructure has always been important to the economic growth of a municipality and a state.

Intel, '$100 laptop' project make peace
BOSTON - The nonprofit that aims to seed the developing world with inexpensive laptop computers for schoolchildren has made peace with Intel Corp., the project's most powerful rival.

High-Speed Internet Hits Home... African-Americans' usage is up sharply since '05, study says
Adoption of high-speed Internet at home has almost tripled over the last two years among African-American users...

Citywide digital campaign is urged
Chicago should undertake a communitywide campaign to become the nation's most advanced digital city, a mayor's advisory committee report urged Friday.