Bridging the Digital Divide
Its an often overlooked topic, but many people do not have equal access to information systems.
Often the poor, elderly, or those generally outside the loop. While the gap is closing, per se, there is a new digital divide.
Those with access to a general purpose computer, which comes with root access, and the ability to create programs, and media.
I propose the ability to either own, or have exclusive access to an internet capable self-hosting, general purpose computer is a right. The right to tinker is the right of ALL.
I further propose root access on a device you own is a right.
I also further, given the fact that it is generally the poor, who have a phablet, or tablet as their ONLY computers, denying these rights to phones and tablets is targeting the poor, and preventing them from learning about computers or contributing. At very least its denying them the rights we had in the 1980s and 1990s to tinker.
Poll Created Wed 19 Jun 2013 4:41PM
Digital Grant Closed Thu 4 Jul 2013 5:00AM
Every citizen who needs it deserves a biannual digital grant to stimulate the purchase computing devices such as laptops, netbooks, desktops, tablets or computer components for custom builds. At the current conditions of the market, $300 to $500 every two years sounds like a decent rate.
Like the common implementation of the Affordable Care Act, there would be a national, competitive marketplace where people could see all the unbiased options available to make informed financial decisions.
I think this grant should be universal, but because at this current population, such a program would cost between $95.8 billion and $160 billion at the suggested values, I can agree with a needs-based program. However, keep in mind that this would be biannual, so providing universal grants would be like spending between $47.9 and $80 billion annually.
Results
| Results | Option | % of points | Voters | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Agree | 100.0% | 2 |
|
| Abstain | 0.0% | 0 | ||
| Disagree | 0.0% | 0 | ||
| Block | 0.0% | 0 | ||
| Undecided | 0% | 11 |
|
2 of 13 people have participated (15%)
Steven Smith
Wed 19 Jun 2013 4:43PM
Such a grant would reduce the digital divide, and it reconciles the fears that (1) some would abuse the grant and (2) the federal government would be providing compromised devices that are irreversibly monitored.
Lucia Fiero
Sun 23 Jun 2013 4:53PM
I agree with a variation: The way Bikes not Bombs collects and refurbishes old bikes, somewhere in this plan we should have "collect and refurbish old hardware." Not too old, obviously, but a 5-7 year old computer will do for many folks just fine.
kbenjamin sauerhaft coplon Wed 3 Jul 2013 4:45PM
i think we can assume the earliest this could possibly take effect is 2022
if the prediction of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors holds,( time transistor counts and densities are to double every three years, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law ) by then there will be a machine that is 4X as powerful as the raspberry pi for 1/2th the cost
at this price i think many people could afford a computer without needing to deal with a complex federal system.
prices would move even faster if we got rid of the patent system(or significantly reduced it)
i don't believe that people need to buy computers as quickly as they are being made
kbenjamin sauerhaft coplon · Wed 3 Jul 2013 4:05PM
i'm not sure whether my voting here is appropriate as i no longer consider myself a pirate, so i'll just state my opinion and not vote