and 100,000 free accounts valued at $26 million per year from America Online.
Clinton said East Palo Alto, a low-income city surrounded by affluent Silicon Valley, has a better chance to help its citizens bridge the digital divide because of its location.
"The one thing you have here is physical proximity, and you ought to make the most of it," Clinton told the crowd of 250 residents, community leaders and local politicians.
The president also praised Plugged In,a local technology training center that works to connect people with the benefits of the information revolution. Clinton said he thought Plugged In was an excellent example of how to close the digital gap.
The president also said he would seek $2 billion in tax incentives for corporations that give high-tech equipment to schools. The president's new budget also contains $3 billion in funding to connect every school and library in the nation to the Internet, the newspaper reports.
In terms of reactions by local high-tech leaders, Covad Communications' Robert Knowling -- one of the area's few black CEOs -- said the reason people don't end up in high-tech jobs has less to do with access than it does with bolstering a diverse America.
"Is the issue they don't have the intellectual capacity?" Knowling asked. "Well, I'm a firm believer... (this is) all about environment. We still live in a country where we don't value difference."
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President Bill Clinton gave his much-publicized digital divide speech in East Palo Alto on Monday, announcing corporate donations amounting to $100 million will fund installation of new technology in community centers and schools, and challenge other groups to commit to similar philanthropic endeavors, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
