Karen Archer Perry Ensuring Socio-Economic Inclusion

Digital Inclusion Takes Center Stage

I grew up in the telecom industry with a specialty in operations. Operations is all the stuff that makes networks really work: billing, maintenance, provisioning, traffic management, etc. And over the lifecycle of any network, the operations costs eclipse capital costs on the balance sheet. That said, operations was often an after-thought. At meetings, we Ops guys usually got the last 15 minutes on the agenda after the switching guys had waxed on about call-models and switch modules and the transport guys had talked about bi-directional line switched rings and the latest in optical switching.

Of course this background prepared me well for working in the area of Digital Inclusion.
Digital Inclusion is occasionally a leading concept; but more often a necessary post script to consider after looking at the Access Points, mesh networks, emergency preparedness and government services. That all changed last month, when W2i launched the Digital Inclusion Forum - an event where Digital Inclusion took center stage.

The December 10th event in Washington, DC, brought together about seventy experts from around the country to review research, share best practices and collaborate on actions that will create inclusion in our society. Coincident with the conference, the Wireless Internet Institute launched the Digital Inclusion Forum web site to serve as a central point for collecting and sharing resources, practices, white papers and most of all, IDEAS about Digital Inclusion. The site also has "expert zones" and I am very pleased to take the lead in shaping the zone for Socio-economic Inclusion.

While the talks were good and the interactions thought-providing, it was the energy of this conference that set it apart from all others. Participants described themselves as activists and noted a sense of urgency around policy change and program role out. This was a group of leaders who were passionate about ensuring that all people (rich and poor, old and young, able-bodied - or temporarily able, as one speaker said- and disabled, English speakers and non-English speakers) have access to information technology with the skills needed to use it effectively in their lives.

Keynote speaker, Thomas Dowd, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration, US Department of Labor focused specifically on workforce development, citing the work of the Council on Competitiveness. Their recent report, "Innovate America: Thriving in a World of Challenge and Change" and the National Innovation Survey identified three components necessary for America to thrive: talent, investment, and infrastructure. Dowd indicated, as we know, that "the principles of DI are intertwined with each. Access to a qualified workforce is essential to our economic viability." Hear his talk via podcast. The introduction on the podcast is blurry, but the audio of Dowd is clear as a bell. Just make a cuppa tea while the intro plays. Talent development was but one of the benefits of DI cited by this group of government, market and community leaders. Much as I noted in my previous blog, Things Go Better With Broadband. Pervasive - no universal - broadband access compliments education, civic engagement, economic development, and community building.

Recent research on the relationship between Digital Inclusion and other municipal and governmental agendas is reflected in "Innovating for Inclusion: A Digital Inclusion Guide for Those Leading the Way", by Maria Wynne (Microsoft), Lane Cooper (BizTechReports) and me. We're all proud of the document which provides a framework and best practices on building policy and programs for Digital Inclusion in your community.

If you have a message or story about socio-economic inclusion, then post it here, or e-mail me!

Karen Archer Perry is principal of Karacomm, a Philadelphia-based digital inclusion consultancy.

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