A new communications environment, driven largely by the Internet and World Wide Web, is rapidly changing the economic, social, and political landscape. According to recent surveys, nearly seven in ten Americans (68 percent) now use computers at least "occasionally," six in ten (59 percent) have computers in their homes, and more than half (55 percent) have access to the Internet, 43 percent of these from home. Of the 55 percent of Americans who are "wired," more than one-third (36 percent), or 20 percent of the general public, now go online five or more hours per week. These numbers are up significantly from just a few years ago. For example, the number of Americans who say they go online at least occasionally has increased from 21 percent in 1996 to 54 percent in 2000.