Access Figures The Department of Commerce has been tracking and reporting on the digital divide for several years. In its 1999 report, Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide, the Department of Commerce announced that access to computers and the Internet has increased dramatically in all demographic groups and geographic locations. At the end of 1998, more than 40 percent of all American households had a computer and 25 percent had access to the Internet. Phone penetration has increased, as well, especially among those who were less likely to have phones previously—young and minority households in rural areas. Whites are more likely to have access to the Internet from home than are Blacks and Hispanics from any location—home, school, or community centers. Blacks and Hispanics are also less likely to have Internet access at home than are Americans of Asian/Pacific Islander descent. Income and education levels also affect access. Regardless of income, rural Americans are less likely to have Internet access than urban dwellers. In households with incomes of $75,000 or more, the divide between Whites and Blacks actually decreased considerably between 1997 and 1998. If this continues to hold and the price of access decreases, the disparity between race and access to the Internet may lessen even more. Did You Know? A recent survey by National Public Radio provides similar findings about computer use and ownership. Income and education affect computer use. Americans under age 60 with annual incomes under $30,000 or with a high school education or less are least likely to use a computer at either home or work. There exists a 17 percent gap in home-computer ownership between low-income Blacks and low-income Whites; however, these differences virtually disappear in high-income households, much like the Internet access findings previously mentioned. This poll found other good news. Computer ownership is up among groups previously identified as less likely to be computer owners. First-time computer owners in the past two years under age 60 are more likely than long-term owners to be low-income and to have a high school education or less.