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Pelosi Statement on Investment in California Communities by ZeroDivide and AT&T"

January 25, 2008

Pelosi Statement on Investment in California Communities by ZeroDivide and AT&T

Friday, January 25, 2008

Contact:Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami, 202-226-7616

San Francisco â€" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today as ZeroDivide announced $1 million investment for technology programs in underserved California communities matched by a $1 million investment from AT&T:

â€Å"Thank you to Tessie Guillermo, Timothy Wu and the dynamic board and staff of ZeroDivide for inviting me to be a part of today’s announcement. While I cannot be with you in person, I join Assemblyman Mark Leno and San Francisco’s official family in recognizing ZeroDivide’s longstanding leadership in providing technology resources and opportunities for underserved California communities.

â€Å"I would also like to express my gratitude to AT&T, represented today by Ken McNeely, for its generous support of ZeroDivide’s mission to accelerate civic engagement and economic empowerment.

â€Å"Three years ago I visited what was then the Community Technology Foundation of San Francisco to witness first-hand their ‘zero divide’ lab used for training on assistive technology for the disabled, and to learn about the diversity of their funded projects and policy work.

â€Å"With today’s announcement, ZeroDivide and AT&T have significantly increased their investment in California’s communities to address issues such as rural isolation, youth disenfranchisement, discrimination and marginalization of communities of color, technology and health care policy advocacy and media literacy for immigrant populations.

â€Å"Over the past two years, House Democrats led forums across this country with leaders from the academic, high-technology, venture capital, biotech, and telecommunications sectors, as well as with students and young entrepreneurs to develop our Innovation Agenda: a Commitment to Competitiveness to Keep America Number One. This agenda includes: creating a new generation of innovators â€" an educated, skilled workforce in the vital areas of science, math, engineering, and information technology; and spurring affordable access to broadband technology.

â€Å"As Speaker of the House, I am committed to supporting the work of ZeroDivide and others to bridge the digital divide and ensuring our Nation’s competitiveness in the global economy.”