AOL Time Warner Playing a Part in Bridging the Technology Gap
By Ronald Roach

DULLES, Va.
hen it comes to digital divide issues, B. Keith Fulton is one of the most recognized authorities in the United States. Fulton first came to prominence as director of technology programs and policy at the National Urban League in the early 1990s. Last April, Fulton became a vice president of the AOL Time Warner Foundation and a senior director for social innovations for the Corporate Relations division of AOL Time Warner Inc. Fulton is now charged with managing and developing domestic and international programs that promote digital opportunity. Fulton also works on communications and policy issues for AOL Time Warner.
Fulton's key projects include: the Digital Divide Network — an online clearinghouse of information about the digital divide; the Education Technology Leadership Institute, which helps teachers gain skills to use technology effectively; PowerUP.org — a collaborative public/private venture to bring technology resources and skills to youth; and AOL Peace Packs — a program to equip Peace Corps volunteers with computers and Internet access.
BI: Several months ago, the AOL Foundation sponsored a digital divide conference that examined the gap in information technology resources and practices in use by historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and the rest of higher education. Do you think a digital divide remains in effect in higher education?

FULTON: Higher education is broad. I think if we tried to say ‘let's look at some measures of whether a given university is able to take advantage of the digital economy, the digital age for itself and its students — is it known for its leading edge-capabilities and how it delivers its instruction, etc.,' you could definitely draw some distinctions between colleges and universities. One benchmark is the "Most Wired College" list, and I believe two HBCUs made the list last year — one being Tennessee State and the other being Hampton University…(Morehouse also made the list.) I'd like to see all the HBCUs on the list. And so I think there are some challenges. And to the extent we're defining digital divide as the gap between those who have and those who don't, then I think there is a substantial divide for some universities.