Anthony G. Wilhelm

Anthony G. Wilhelm contends in the following viewpoint that not all Americans have access to the Internet, nor will market forces enable them to connect to it in the near future. He claims that the poor, the elderly, ethnic minorities, and those living in rural areas lag far behind affluent Americans in their ability to purchase and use computer technology. This gap—called the “digital divide”—prevents many adults from participating in online elections, and it bars their children from learning skills needed to compete for high- paying jobs. Anthony G. Wilhelm is director of the Communications Policy Program at the Benton Foundation and author of the book Democracy in the Digital Age.

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