
On the Street and On Facebook: The Homeless Stay Wired - rms
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124363359881267523.html
======
silentbicycle
I worked for a public library for several years, and we spent quite a bit of
time helping people suddenly required to use the internet for their basic
economic/social arrangements.

While the article mentions using message boards, Flickr, etc., those are
probably of secondary importance. Surprisingly many low-end jobs, particularly
retail, only accept applications online. While this is probably a cost-cutting
measure, it's also extremely effective de-facto discrimination against people
without internet access at home. (Some of the applications seemed designed to
make completing them in a public library's typical 30-60 minute limit
difficult.) Similarly, many unemployment offices in Michigan have closed to
cut costs, and AFAIK people can only file for unemployment online now. It's
much easier to do taxes online, etc.

Many organizations, both public and private, have moved their primary
resources online, since publishing and updating are significantly cheaper. The
permeation of internet connectivity in the US hasn't quite caught up, though.
Sweden, for example, decided to lay optical fiber while they were already
digging to update other national utility infrastructures, and has much better
connectivity as a result. In the US, we have more landmass and far more uneven
population density. While there are some metropolitan wireless network
initiatives, people in e.g. Nebraska are probably stuck with dialup or (if
lucky) a telecom monopoly.

------
rms
Doctorow's commentary predicting that in five years time network access will
be seen as a fundamental human right.
[http://www.boingboing.net/2009/05/30/homeless-people-
and.htm...](http://www.boingboing.net/2009/05/30/homeless-people-and.html)

~~~
CalmQuiet
Amen to that. Does it not fall under 21st century Freedom of the Press of the
future? ...if one concurs that, “Freedom of the press belongs to those who
have one”

