Task force to promote broadband access

Goal is more high-speed Internet use by minorities, low-income people

A group of local community and business leaders has formed a task force to help roll out broadband Internet access to more of Charleston's minorities and low-income residents.

The 22-person council was announced this week by the Alliance for Digital Equality, a year-old Atlanta-based nonprofit devoted to finding ways to bridge the "digital divide" between minority and majority communities.

"I'm very enthusiastic about what we're trying to do," said Julian Hollis, founder and chairman of the group. "It's going to have a profound impact on health, education and business development in minority communities."

There already are encouraging signs. From 2005 to mid-2007, the percentage of blacks with a high-speed Internet line at home almost tripled to 40 percent from 14 percent, according to the Washington-based Pew Charitable Trusts.

About 48 percent of white households had broadband. However, only 30 percent of homes with less than $30,000 in annual income had high-speed connections.

South Carolina is plugging into broadband much more slowly than the rest of the country. At the end of 2006, 34 percent of South Carolina homes had a high-speed Internet line, compared with 46 percent of all U.S. homes, according to the Federal Communications Commission and the Census Bureau.

In Charleston, many area neighborhoods are a long way from the information superhighway, even though free Internet access is available at public libraries, according to Paul Stoney, president and chief executive of the YMCA of Greater Charleston and a member of the newly formed council.

Stoney estimated that 90 percent of YMCA users in Charleston don't have access to a personal computer at home.

"And we won't even begin to talk about broadband," he said. "How many of these people are going to have the initiative to go to the library?"

The new broadband task force will be led by Marvin Dulaney, executive director of the Avery Research Center.

The Alliance for Digital Equality is organizing similar councils in Atlanta, Detroit, Houston and Miami. Its goal is to bring together elected officials, consumers and the business leaders to educate minority communities about the importance and benefits of broadband usage.

Reach Kyle Stock at 937-5763 or kstock@postandcourier.com.