The Internet: A Recession Lifeline

What are people turning to during these hard economic times, besides a pint of ice cream? The Internet.

A recent survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 69 percent of all Americans are using the Internet to cope with the recession, scout for jobs, take online classes, search for government benefits and learn investment tips.

Big Cable’s Internet Rip-Off

You'll have to excuse me-I'm a little tired, having stayed up all night watching episodes of Lost online. I've never really cared what's in that hatch, but thought I should stream the videos before they cost me the equivalent of two weeks worth of groceries.

Global Communication, Local Control

In his book "Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community," Harvard scholar Robert Putnam pointed to ways Americans had become less connected - to one another and to their communities - over the second half of the last century.

Now, the promise of federal stimulus money presents a historic opportunity for communities to come together in old-fashioned, roundtable discussions to talk about how technology and innovation can change the future of community life.

Wired Less: Disconnected in Urban America

For many Americans living in urban areas, high-speed Internet access remains elusive.

Five Days on the Digital Dirt Road

In North Carolina alone, nearly 5 million residents don't have access to high-speed Internet. According to a July 2007 study, 30 percent or more of the state's population in 21 rural counties did not have high-speed Internet connectivity. In many cases, telephone and cable companies have refused to provide service to people living in the remote and rural areas of the state, while some people are simply priced out of buying expensive broadband service.