An Empirical Evaluation of E-Government Inclusion Among the Digitally Disadvantaged in the United States

E-Government Inclusion And The Digital Divide

A necessary condition for equity in information access is that citizens have Internet access. The divide between those with access and skills to use the Internet and new information and communication technologies (ICT) and those without, or in other words, the gap between the ‘technology haves’ and ‘have-nots’ is referred to as the digital divide (Holmes, 2002; Novak & Hoffman, 2000; OECD, 2001; Wilhelm & Thierer, 2000). “The Digital Divide is arguably the single, largest, segregating force in today’s world. If it is not made a national priority, a generation of children and families will mature without these tools that are proving to be the key to the future” (PR Newswire, 2000).