Just as people had to learn to listen to the radio, she said, the skills needed to use the internet must be learned.
Three journalists addressing the issue of who is able to ride the new information highway said, though it is in its infancy, the internet will be a powerful medium in the future.
One problem of the internet, however, is that it is curently not accessible to much of the population. Of the 32 million homes with computers, only seven million have access to the internet, said Howard Bryant, a digital specialist for the Oakland Tribune. "This is a small number of people who are ahead," said Bryant. For this reason, Bryant said, "the information on-line is not speaking for the populace."
Although panel members agreed with efforts to install internet-equipped computers in public libraries and schools, they admitted that the new technology was not affordable for all.
"(The internet industry) is gearing itself more and more to the affluent," said Bryant. The information highway, he said, could be called a "tollroad".
Bruce Koon, managing editor of Mercury Center, the on-line presentation of the San Jose Mercury News, said beginning April 17 the service will no longer be free on the World Wide Web. The fee, or toll, will be $4.95 a month for access to over 200 stories and the first on-line comic strip. The success and profitability of the on-line news service, Koon said, is unknown because it is the first of its kind.
Bryant said it took about 100 years before there were telephones in 90 percent of American homes. Of the internet, Bryant said, "If you want it bad enough, you can get it."