University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Electronic redlining: Racism on the information superhighway?

Kahl, Chad M.

Content Files
kahl_electronic.htm
kahl_electronic.pdf

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/78251

Description

Title
Electronic redlining: Racism on the information superhighway?
Author(s)
Kahl, Chad M.
Issue Date
1997
Keyword(s)
  • Racism
  • Information superhighway
Date of Ingest
2015-07-20T19:02:57Z
Abstract
Electronic redlining is an alleged--some say purposively racist--practice by telecommunication firms which limits access to minority neighborhoods. It purportedly occurs when telecommunication firms bypass poor neighborhoods when offering new telecommunications technologies to more affluent areas. The issue was first raised by a coalition of public-interest groups who examined the Baby Bells'--the regional telecommunication firms created by the break-up of American Telephone and Telegraph's monopoly in 1984--video dialtone installation proposals to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and filed a petition on May 23, 1994 in an effort to receive a clarification of policy and statement opposing segregation. Inequalities in Internet access, the coalition's allegations, Baby Bell installation proposal case studies, the National Information Infrastructure, and the Telecommunications Act of 1996 are all examined in an effort to fully understand the issue. It has sparked debates over racism and discrimination at the beginning of what many people see as the Information Revolution. Seemingly, existing presidential support of the ideals of the National Information Infrastructure and favorable interpretations of the new Telecommunications Bill will prevent electronic redlining from continuing, but the installation and regulatory process has just begun. Given the importance of the issue, library professionals should push for a sustained effort to ensure regulation against its occurrence.
Publisher
Graduate School of Library and Information Science. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Series/Report Name or Number
Katharine Sharp Review ; no. 004, Winter, 1997
ISSN
1083-5261
Type of Resource
text
Genre of Resource
Article
Language
en
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/78251
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 1997 is held by Chad M. Kahl

Owning Collections

No. 4: Winter, 1997 PRIMARY