Karen Archer Perry Ensuring Socio-Economic Inclusion

10 Ways to Promote Digital Inclusion Now!

1. Urge passage of the Broadband Census Act of 2007. This bill is currently with the Senate Commerce Committee, having already achieved full approval in the House (HR. 3919). As most of us know, the current FCC data collection requirement labels speeds greater than 200 kbs “broadband.” This bill collects information by service tiers. “the tiers in the aggregate shall encompass all data transmission speeds deployed, and shall consist of multiple combinations of upstream and downstream data transmission speeds’ and collects subscriber data within a zip code. The Act also includes funding for broadband mapping and global comparisons. Very critical step forward. Find your Senator or contact a member of the Commerce Committee and ask them to pass this bill in the current session.
2. Support the Community Broadband Act of 2007 using the easy action link from Free Press. As stated by Free Press, ... "the bipartisan Community Broadband Act of 2007 (S. 1853), .. would prevent states from prohibiting municipalities from offering advanced telecommunications services." The companion bill in the House is H.R. 3281. "In addition to overriding current state laws that bar municipal broadband, these bills would require municipalities that currently offer telecommunications services to open their networks to competition from private providers. The bills would also provide the public with notice and an opportunity to be heard before a municipal broadband network is deployed."
3. Download and read “Innovating for Inclusion: A Digital Inclusion Guide for those Leading the Way,” sponsored by Microsoft and authored by Maria Wynne, Lane Cooper and myself. Innovating for Inclusion provides a framework for creating an inclusion initiative in your community. It also includes excellent references and success stories from around the county. Also check out some of the other Microsoft case studies and resources.
4. Check out the work of the Pew Internet and American Life Project and the Brookings Institute and consider how these reports reflect on your community, social fabric and economy. A few favorites:
• Horrigan, “Broadband Adoption Trends and Consequences,” July 17, 2007, Presentation to National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, Pew Internet and American Life Project.
• Susannah Fox, “Digital Divisions,” report of the Pew Center for Internet and the American Life, October 5, 2005.
• Robert Crandall, William Lehr and Robert Litan, “The Effects of Broadband Deployment on Output and Employment: A Cross-sectional Analysis of U.S. Data,” July 2007, Issues in Economic Policy, The Brookings Institute.
5. Make sure all of your web sites are accessible to those with visual impairments. Start with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines on Wikipedia and then go to the source: the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Download the current design guidelines and check out the new version, currently under review.
6. Promote the use of technologies that assist users with visual and physical disabilities. You'll find great resources at: Microsoft Accessibility Services, IBM Easy Web Browsing, and Benetech Bookshare. Refresh the programming in your local Community Technology Centers. Also check out the Alliance for Technology Access (ATA), a national nonprofit that focuses solely on technology for people with disabilities.
7. Set up a meeting with you Mayor, County Supervisor, Governor or Chief Information Officer. Open up a discussion about policies and investment in Digital Inclusion. Bring the "Innovating for Inclusion” paper which includes recent research on the relationship between computers and broadband and education, economic development and civic engagement. Ask that a study be set up and offer to support the effort.
8. Spend some time at your local library or community center and find out why people come to the library to use broadband-connected computers. Every time I go, I find myself helping someone with a resume or online job application. Talk with the librarian or Center staff about what they see as the needs and opportunities in your community.
9. Refresh your Community Technology Centers with new ideas and partnerships. Check out the work of the CTCNet; consider adding a program in Digital Storytelling; look at leading centers like the DISKcovery Center at the Little Tokyo Service Center which offers courses in Digital Scrapbooks, blogs and buying and selling on eBay.
10. Ask your kids and your school superintendent how they are using technology to support and reinforce core curriculum. Check out my blog, Education 2.0, and see how educational leaders are leveraging Web 2.0 tools to expand the bounds of the classroom, make education more real and support students in creating new ideas. While most people think about the Digital Divide in terms of access, there is a new divide forming around efficacy. Make sure your clients and your kids are using the web to deepen their understanding of concepts, create new ideas and expand their own learning communities.

Got another idea? Post it here as a comment!

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

Steve Reneker
One of the keys to successful Digital Inclusion, is collaborating with the private sector and industry on e-waste. The collection of e-waste can be the key to a self sustaining program and also provide the source to working PCs that can be refurbished. The also fits with the national GREEN initatiatives while benefiting our low income families with FREE refurbished PCs.
05:22 PM, 03/13/2008

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