Arif Shah runs a paralegal business, Al-Sayyed Professionals, located on Coney Island Avenue, Brooklyn, an area also known as Little Pakistan. He spends most of his office time dealing with customers on paralegal issues but sometimes people approach him for help in dealing with broadband and Internet related issues as well, mainly Pakistani-American community members who either don't have a computer at home or don't have broadband access to go online.
"These are the kind of people who customarily come to our office for basic things like to file claim for unemployment insurance, to check a credit report, to apply for social security and even to send e-mail," says Arif Shah. "One reason they come to me," he says, "is simply they cannot afford $50 a month for a broadband connection at home."
This is one of the many examples of the digital divide – the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology, and those with very limited or no access at all – in New York's Pakistani-American community.
Now, members of the community living on the other side of the digital divide, without access or with limited access to broadband, are being trained and provided with limited access to the Internet by Council of People's Organization (COPO), a Brooklyn-based nonprofit organization.
COPO Executive Director Mohammad Razvi says his organization has trained 1,000 to 1,100 community members during the past five years in the use of the computer and Internet, as well as offered its computer labs to the community. Other than COPO's six-computer labs, there is hardly any facility offering free broadband access to the Pakistani-American community in Brooklyn.
The trend of Internet cafes is also limited. Agha Saleh, the Pakistani owner of 'inetgen', an Internet café in Jackson Heights, Queens, offers access to computers as well as broadband for $3 per hour.
'Inetgen' offers a cheaper road to cross the 'digital divide' as compared to Kinko Inc., which also provides Internet access services across the United States but charge more.
Shahid Hamid, an 'inetgen' customer, is a recent immigrant who owns a laptop but has no access to broadband at the apartment he shares with other roommates.
"I cannot afford $ 49.99 a month and the one- or two-year contract, in some cases. So coming to 'inetgen' off and on and paying a couple of dollars is worth it to me," said Hamid and added, "Most of the time I come here to the net café to check my e-mails, get prints of important documents and, at the same time, to keep in touch with my family back home through SMS or Skype."
'Inetgen' does not allow their customer to play games on the computer.
"Most of our customers are students, visitors, neighborhood residents and their roommates," says Mr. Saleh, "but the majority of them are the people who can't afford broadband at home." According to Mr. Saleh, people come to his net cafe for basic things like checking or sending e-mails, students with their school projects, to get some print outs, or make payments online.
Mr. Razvi found the same situation whenever he visited the public library at Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn. "I found many Pakistani students and community members who had no access to the Internet," he explained.
Eighth-grader Usman Chughtai, 13, is one of the Pakistani students who visit the Cortelyou Public library almost five days a week. Most recently he visited the library to get summaries The Tale of Despereaux, a book assigned in a school project.
"I have to come to the library because we don't have Internet connection at home," Usman said. He commented, however, that "exactly after 30 minutes, the Internet connection goes off automatically so the next person in line could use Internet."
It took Usman more than a day to write a summary of the book due to the 30-minute time constraint. He has also been selected to act in the play that will be staged in his school.
"I need to use the computer and Internet again to prepare for my character and role," Usman said "that's why I am here again at library."
"Broadband is the infrastructure of the 21st century, and we're working with public, private, and non-profit partners across the City to help bring this vital service to those New Yorkers who need it most," said Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) Commissioner Carole Wallace Post.
In an effort to bridge the digital divide for low-income New Yorkers, city government has launched two new programs – NYC Connected Communities and NYC Connected Foundations – with a funding of $20 million from Federal stimulus dollars.
"With the $14 million award for NYC Connected Communities, it will significantly expand the availability of public computer centers in high poverty areas," told by Nicolas T. Sbordone, Director of External Affairs DoITT.
It is claimed that in New York City broadband service is almost universally available – residential coverage stands at virtually 100 percent, and business access is pervasive. In this respect, New York is well ahead of many other American cities.
But one has to pay at least $49 a month to have broadband service at home, which is a steep fee for those living in under-served communities especially at a time when, according to the U.S. Census, the number of city residents living below the federal poverty line increased.
It is also acknowledged by the city government that as with every other major American city, a digital divide exists in terms of broadband adoption. This divide is especially pronounced with respect to lower-income residents and seniors.
"In response, New York City has formulated and begun implementation of several free and complementary programs to those in the public libraries, to confront the interrelated aspects of the broadband adoption gap," said by Mr. Sbordone of DoITT, and added, "this multi-pronged approach – aiming to address the cost of broadband service, computer ownership, digital literacy, and recognition of the value of broadband access – has contributed to DoITT's success in garnering more Federal broadband stimulus funding than has yet to be received by any other city (or by any state) for sustainable broadband adoption and public computer center initiatives in low-income communities."
"Investing in libraries, public housing facilities, senior centers and community centers across the five boroughs, the program will serve 40,000 new users weekly, provide 1,047 new work stations, and offer an array of new resources for digital literacy, employment support, and other critical services," said a statement issued by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office.
"On a parallel track, to promote economic development, DoITT is working with the City's cable television franchisees to extend service to those industrial/manufacturing areas where coverage gaps still exist; and to provide Wi-Fi in City parks and public spaces," said DoITT Director of External Affairs Nicholas T. Sbordone.
"The $6 million award for NYC Connected Foundations will provide over-age, under-credited students at 43 of the City's public high schools with access to free computers, broadband subsidies, and comprehensive digital literacy training," he added.
Ms Amira, who requested her last name not to be used, is one of the many immigrants totally unaware of any city's broadband free and complementary programs in addition to the public libraries. The only source for her kids to go online for free is the Brooklyn Public library at Flatbush Avenue.
"For the last three years, I am coming to the library and never heard about anything new," she said." If I would have known that free access to the Internet is available by the city other than public library, I may take my kids there rather than waiting in line here at the library, for only 30 minutes usages of Internet."
"What about those who don't go to public libraries or are not part of the public housing facilities or senior centers?" asked Saleh. "They are large in number and they may not be able to use the proposed 'bridge' to cross the digital dive."
This article was written as part of New York Community Media Alliance's Ethnic Media Fellowship on Communications Policy and Practice Fall 2010.
