One-quarter of Chicagoans are unwired: They don’t use the Internet at all, anywhere

[Bruce Montgomery]

One quarter of Chicagoans unwired Comments August 4, 2009   BY SANDRA GUY Business Reporter   One-quarter of Chicagoans are unwired: They don’t use the Internet at all, anywhere, a new study revealed Monday.   Neighborhoods with the lowest Internet use, whether at home, at work or at a library, were Fuller Park on the South Side at 28 percent, and South Lawndale at 44 percent, according to the report, “Digital Excellence in Chicago: A City-Wide View,” written by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and at the University of Iowa.   The most-wired communities were Lincoln Park with 98 percent use, and 96 percent in the Loop, Near North and Lake View neighborhoods, the report said.   African-Americans were 6 percent less likely to use the Internet than whites, while Latinos were 18 percent less likely, after age, income and education were taken into account.   “Income and affordability are the big barriers to access because they limit Internet access at people’s homes,” said Karen Mossberger, co-author and UIC associate professor of public administration. Bruce Montgomery Montgomery & Company Technology | Innovation | Commerce P.O. Box 10796 Chicago, Illinois 60610-0796 773-224-7898 [phone] 773-410-0608 [cell] onepr...@yahoo.com