Report: Less Than Half of NM Households Have Internet Access

from SWOPblogger, a great post and article about the lack internet access in our communities.

The Social Science Research Center (SSRC) recently published a report of their findings in New Mexico, which indicates that there is a serious digital divide in our state. Less than half of New Mexico households have access to the internet, a serious problem in the modern world.

This article by Gloria Williams investigates the impact of internet access in New Mexico in the wake of the SSRC report. In the article, Andrea Quijada of the New Mexico Media Literacy Project touches on the importance of the internet:

"As all information gets moved online, people's very real lives depend on the Internet, from public assistance, to immigration statues, to health, to education, to people's right to live with self-determination."

These issues are important today because the Federal Communication Commission is currently developing policies around Internet usage. Groups like NMMLP and SWOP are pushing for the FCC to adopt principles of net neutrality and universal broadband, to assure that the Internet is controlled by the people that use it and accessible to everyone.

Not surprisingly, telecom corporations are opposed to these ideas.