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• Digital Inclusion Strategies

• How does a community evaluate resources and develop consensus around a comprehensive broadband plan?

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SHLB NTIA ConferenceMay 23, 2012

Mary Alice BallSenior Program Officer

Building Digital Communities

Digital Inclusion Is a Policy Area

Energy

Education

Health

Employment

Transportation

Digital inclusion

IMLS and Digital Inclusion

• Report - Building Digital Communitieswww.imls.gov/about/building_digital_communities.aspx

• Grant to WebJunction/ICMA/TechSoup–Summits, community of practice, resources

• Grant to Learner Web–Adult digital literacy

Heather Devine

Building Digital Communities

VisionVision

PrinciplesPrinciples

GoalsGoals

StrategiesStrategies

Framework–help community leaders–initiate community discussions–conduct asset mapping–foster digital inclusion

Availability*Affordability

Design for inclusionPublic access

ACCESS ADOPTIONRelevanceDigital literacyConsumer safety

Economic and workforce developmentEducationHealth carePublic safety and emergency servicesCivic engagementSocial connections

Principles and Strategic Areas

Principle 2: Affordability

• Benefits if Internet access is affordable• Businesses• Households• Institutions• Public-private groups need to partner• lower costs• assist those who can’t afford home access • Clarity about available broadband offerings• pricing structures• support systems

Goal 1: Pricing information

ISPs provide uniform pricing information to enable consumers to easily compare plans

•What are the available options? •How can consumers compare?•Who pays what?•Household•Business•CAI

Credit: NTIA

Programs that subsidize monthly Internet subscription costs are available to low-income households

•Free or reduced school lunch•Comcast Essentials•Public housing buildings•One Economy

Goal 2: Subsidized Internet

Credit: NTIA

Assistance with hardware, software, and peripheral equipment purchase and maintenance are available to low-income households

Goal 3: Assistance for low-income

Alaska Library Association

Sample Strategies

Individual•Donate used technology equipment to nonprofit groups that provide equipment to low-income households and CBOsLibraries, CBOs, and Other Community Anchor Institutions•Raise public awareness about available Internet subsidies and assistance for purchasing computer equipmentBusiness Sector•Donate used computer equipment to nonprofit groups that provide hardware to low-income households and CBOsLocal and Tribal Governing Bodies•Maintain local comparisons of ISP prices and optionsInfluencing Policy•Promote standards for comparing prices of service bundles among local ISPs

Getting Started on Digital Inclusion

1. Convene stakeholders

2. Develop a shared community understanding

3. Create a community action plan

4. Implement the plan

5. Evaluate and revise the plan

Take 2 minutes

• Select one affordability goal– Cards on chairs– Work with person next to you– Write up 1 or 2 strategies

• Individual• Libraries, CBOs, and Other Community Anchor

Institutions• Business Sector• Local and Tribal Governing Bodies• Influencing Policy

– Pass forward to me

Digital inclusionstrategiesMiami & Macon

What Does It Take?

The ElementsAwareness & EngagementBroadband ConnectivityEquipment ProvisioningService & MaintenanceTrainingTechnical Support

The Elements

Awareness & EngagementBroadband ConnectivityEquipment ProvisioningService & MaintenanceTrainingTechnical Support

What Community Leaders Want to Talk About

Business AttractionRevenue DiversificationCompetitivenessIncreasing the tax baseImproving the workforce

Old Stories…

Business AttractionRevenue DiversificationCompetitivenessIncreasing the tax baseImproving the workforce

The Good News

Tons of assetsCommunities want to amp up their Technology Quotient (TQ)

Change can begin to occur immediately

Collecting, Refurbishing & Distributing

Lining up donors

Storing Refurb Distributing

Connect2Compete Model

Connect2Compete Model

•Eligibility criteria is minimal•Recipients have skin in the game

•No PC donors to recruit•Simplified distribution•Simplified ordering•Rich online training content

Thanks very much!

Kim RomanerChief Amplifier803-426-1726 office305-439-9326 cellkim@possibilitiesamplified.com

Digital Inclusion Strategies…and the closing of the digital gap in Kansas City Kansas

Demographics• Kansas City, Kansas--formed in 1868, incorporated in 1872, now 3rd largest city in the state of Kansas

• Wyandotte County 3rd largest county in greater Kansas City metropolitan area

• Governed by Unified Government which includes cities of Bonner Springs and Edwardsville

• 2010 census population 145,786--61,969 housing units and 36,241 family residents; 52.2% Caucasian, 26.8% African American, 0.8% Native American, 2.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.8% of two or more races, Hispanic/Latino 27.8%

• 28.6% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

•. About 13.0% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.8% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those 65 and over.

Economy•Home to the General Motors Plant, the FBI of Prisons The Ass. Wholesale Grocers, and Kansas City Steak Company.

•66.2% population in labor force, 33.8% not in labor force and 12.7% unemployed+

•Construction 9%, Manufacturing 13%, Retail 10.5%, Professional/Scientific/Management/Administrative 10.1%, Educational/Health Care/Social Assistance 19%, Arts/Entertainment/Recreation/Accommodation/Food Service 9.5%+

•Private wage and salary workers 79.5%, Government 15.4%, Self-employed 5.0%, Unpaid family workers 0.1%+

•Median household income $37,295+

•Per capita income $18,435+

•Percentage living below poverty level—all people 22.3%+

+ 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau

Google Fiber

On March 30, 2011 Kansas City was chosen from a field of 1,100 US communities for an experimental fiber-optic network at no cost to the city. •Social Media Club of Kansas City

http://socialmediaclubkc.ning.com/

•Give Us a Gig

http://giveusagig.com/

•CityCampKC

http://citycampkc.org/

•Mayor’s Bistate Innovations Team

http://www.marc.org/MBIT/

The importance of digital inclusion

• The Internet, provides access to a range of opportunities

• Increasingly, governments and commercial organizations are moving their services online.

• Digital literacy is just as important as traditional literacy

KCK K20-Librarian Initiative

•Connects with all educational systems in and around Kansas City, KS

•Makes use of existing technologies.

What Digital Inclusion will mean to KCK

• Accessibility for all in Wyandotte

• Digital equality

• Literacy and digital competence

• Technology to enhance quality of life

• Technology for inclusion

1. Accessibility for all: Accessibility to all technologies for citizens regardless of ability should be a goal.

•The US Rehabilitation Act (amended by Congress in 1998 – www.section508.gov )

•The US Patent and Trademark Office Strictly enforces Section 508

2. Digital equality: Google high speed minimum standards for home internet access will enable all to benefit equally from future advances in technology.

• Public libraries play a pivotal role by offering free internet access and digital classes

• Incentives to adopt and utilize technology

• Unified Government grants and loans for everyone to purchase technology.

• KCKPS initiated free laptop for all high school students.

3. Literacy and digital competence: This will enhance basic literacy and technological literacy that will improve life chances and facilitate lifelong learning.

Digital literacy is inextricably associated with basic literacy.  

4. Technology to enhance quality of life: The groups that probably have the most to gain from

technology are the least connected.

• Rapidly ageing population.

• Technology benefit

• Technology usefulness

Don MeansPrincipal, Co-Founder

• Technology Strategy for a Better Community