Second, individuals attempting to access and use online information must have physical access to the technologies—hardware, software, databases, telecommunications—that are necessary to retrieve information. For many less-affluent individuals, particularly minority groups, this is a major expense—too expensive for many lower-income households, since they require centralized facilities, such as schools or libraries, to view online information via information technology. In sparsely populated areas like the NorthWest Territories and Nunavut, this is particularly a critical issue, as Internet access is scarce.