"The key ingredient to success in bridging the Digital Divide is broad-based, community-wide support," said Eric Benhamou, chairman and CEO of 3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS) Wednesday during his keynote address for the Commonwealth Club of Silicon Valley. "Computers and high-speed access in all areas is essential. But true empowerment only comes with education and training, the information literacy that enables one to make the most of the technology."

Benhamou's speech, "The Digital Divide: Practical Solutions for Building Communities," attracted more than 250 people, including Bay Area business leaders, community leaders and educators. The Joint Venture Silicon Valley sponsored the speech, held at Santa Clara University.

Benhamou's speech centered around three areas: a discussion of what the Digital Divide really is and how it can be measured; why closing the Divide is important to today's society; and what we can do today and in the future to bridge the Divide.

Benhamou explained the Digital Divide separates those people that can and do use information technology in their daily lives from those who cannot or do not. He warned that the Divide was much more than the gap that exists between the technology "haves" and "have nots."

"Often times, I hear the Digital Divide reduced to a single dimension. Some point to the discrepancy in income as the defining issue, others point to race or gender, and still others geography," Benhamou said. "Encompassing all of these is the most important parameter of all - education. We cannot point to just one of these at the expense of the other because all are valid."

Benhamou suggested the Divide is important to today's society because it is a problem that will not go away by itself. He explained that if it was not addressed properly, the economic growth of the technology industry could be hampered by the fact that the market for many of the IT products and services will be limited to those who stand on the right side of the Divide.

"IT access and IT skills are no longer an option but an essential requirement for functioning in modern society and becoming a full participant in the new economy," Benhamou said. "We should think of it the same fundamental way as two centuries ago, when people thought of the skills of reading, writing and counting."

Benhamou explained 3Com's commitment to help bridge the Digital Divide and cited examples of several public/private partnerships it created for this purpose, including:

The 3Com Urban Challenge, a collaboration with the U.S. Conference of Mayors that works directly with U.S. mayors to connect their communities and improve access to educational, health care and other municipal resources. To date, 3Com has presented $1 million in grants of networking products and technical consulting services to the mayors of 10 U.S. cities.

The 3Com/YWCA TechGYRLS program is designed to give high-school-aged girls training in computer networking. The YWCA already offered after-school computer classes for girls aged 9-13 through the TechGYRLS Club program. The addition of the 3Com® NetPrep® curriculum allows high school girls to continue after school technical education with a focus on computer networking and the Internet, leading to industry-standard certification.

The 3Com/YWCA Connected Entrepreneur program, which focuses on concrete activities that connect underserved youth with real role models from small businesses in their own communities. Participating in the program represents a commitment to serve as mentors to the YWCA TechGYRLS program and other local community efforts.

Benhamou finished with his thoughts of the role of technology in bridging the Divide, as well as encouraging words for the efforts being done today.

"If we truly want to close the Digital Divide, the technology industry must focus on improving quality and lowering cost," he said. "But more important, we must make it radically simple for consumers to use technology and connect to the Internet."

"Each effort that we make to close the Digital Divide - each teacher that is trained, each district that is wired, each program that is put in place - is a step in the right direction," Benhamou said. "No step is too small. We never know where the next great idea or the next great engineer will come from."

About 3Com Corporation

3Com simplifies how people connect to information and services through easy-to-use, connectivity products and solutions for consumers and commercial organizations. The company also provides access infrastructures and IP services platforms for network service providers. For further information, visit www.3com.com or the press site at www.3com.com/pressbox.

3Com Corporation

3Com Corporation

More from 3Com Corporation