1. Creating Digital Opportunity Thomas Kalil White House November 16, 2000

2. Importance of IT access/skills zPowerful tool for learning (both K-12 and life-long learning) zAccess to government services and information zSkills needed for 21st century workplace zLower prices for goods and services zCivic engagement at national and local level

3. Americas choice zUse IT to widen the circle of opportunity or zAllow unequal access to IT to further polarize American society along existing lines of income, education, race, geography, disability

4. Some favorable trends zContinued dramatic reductions in cost of processing, storing and transmitting information zLow-cost appliances zFree (to the user) information, advertiser-supported services

5. Clinton-Gore initiatives zBridge digital divide domestically zMake IT more accessible for people with disabilities zAddress issue internationally (between developed & developing countries) zIncrease federal investment in HCI and information management

6. Bridge the digital divide zEnsure equal access to technology in classroom: y$3 billion/year investment at federal level y4 goals: Internet access, computers, teacher training, high-quality content and software yClassrooms connected to Internet has increased from 3 percent (1994) to 63 percent (1999)

7. Bridge digital divide zCreate a national network of Community Technology Centers zPromote innovative uses of IT for underserved communities zMake access to the Internet as ubiquitous as the telephone - home access pilots zChallenge companies and foundations to do more

8. Open questions zIs Internet seen as worthwhile or relevant to the 50 percent unwired? What, if anything, would change this? zIs usability still a major barrier? zHow do we increase investment in applications (e.g. adult literacy software) for low-income families?

9. Access for people w. disabilities zMake existing IT products and services more accessible zImprove state-of-art of assistive technology and universal design zUse IT to increase employment opportunities for people w. disabilities zExpand access to technology for people w. disabilities that cant afford it

10. Access for people w. disabilities zExamples of commitments and steps announced by President Clinton yCommitments by companies and leading research universities yGovt support for standards activities (W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, SALT) ySun Microsystems commitment to make open source software more accessible

11. Global digital divide zWhy is access important, even for developing countries? yPrice information can allow farmers to double the price they receive for their crops yGlobal e-commerce could reach $7 trillion by 2004 yApplications such as e-learning, public health yIncreased opportunities for South-South interaction and learning

12. Global digital divide zPresident Clinton, other G8 leaders create Digital Opportunity Taskforce. Will address: yPolicy, regulatory environment yHuman capital yAccess yE-commerce and other applications (health, learning, etc.)

13. Global digital divide zRole for research community? Computing and communications for developing world. yUltra-low cost ySupport for multiple languages and low levels of literacy yNo power grid or wired telecom infrastructure yApplications that advance economic and social development

14. Information Technology Research zClinton-Gore initiative to substantially increase long-term IT research zResponds to recommendations of PITAC, which call for doubling of IT research over 5 years zBuilds on, but is broader than HPCC zIncludes focus on HCI and Information Management

15. Information Technology Research zExamples of HCI and IM research topics yMulti-modal interaction yUbiquitous computing (continue task regardless of location) yAugmented cognition yTranslating telephony yDiscovery and retrieval in exabyte data stores