Catherine Settanni Digital Access

Digital Inclusion – What's Going On Nationally?

I. The California Community Technology Policy Group (CCTPG) includes representatives from diverse community-based and statewide organizations located throughout California. Our goal is to advocate for policies that assure underserved communities reap the economic, educational, health, and civic benefits offered by computers, the Internet, and new digital innovations.

CCTPG was formed as the Computers In Our Future Policy Group in 1998 and expanded its steering committee in 2001. By bringing together community technology practitioners running successful programs with allies from the advocacy community we work in Sacramento and at home to...

• Enable Community Technology Programs to more easily access existing funding streams such as Workforce Development, After-School funding, the California Tele-Connect Fund, and other sources
• Create a dedicated funding source to expand community technology centers in low-income communities across California.
• Support efforts to allocate local and regional resources to community technology.
  

Report: Toward a Technologically Healthy California, A Roadmap for Policy Makers: This Roadmap proposes a statewide strategy on information technology access and use to benefit all communities in California, particularly the poorest and most underserved. It documents the critical needs of disadvantaged communities as they relate to technology and suggests policy prescriptions for the next five years.

These include:

1. Bring all California communities online by 2010 through a statewide “Connection for All” campaign to offer universal availability, accessibility, and awareness of information technology.
2. Establish and implement minimal standards for digital literacy.
3. Launch a dialogue between communities, business, and government to help orge appropriate short and long term citizen technology policies.
4. Support community-based technology programs that specifically target the poorest and least connected Californians.
5. Develop Digital Empowerment Zones that attract technology businesses and opportunities to poorly connected communities.
   

The goal of the Roadmap is to move California toward a more technologically healthy state – a state where all communities are technically literate and have full access to appropriate information and information technology tools.

A better connected, technologically empowered community will make for a stronger and more prosperous California, one that is fully prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.

This effort is the culmination of a two-year strategic impact project undertaken by nine ZeroDivide Fellows of the Community Technology Foundation of California.

City and Regional Government and Non-Profit Initiatives

II. The Illinois Community Technology Coalition is a network of volunteers and professionals in the community technology sector. The ilCTC emerged through the work of the Illinois Community Technology Consortium funded by the Illinois Community Technology Fund over a three-year period.

ilCTC Statement of Principles

DIGITAL LITERACY & COMMUNITY NETWORKS MATTER in improving Quality of Life, Civic Engagement, and Community Productivity.

We, as persons engaged in civic improvements, or as managers, instructors and technology support staff and volunteers or financial or in-kind supporters of Community Technology access and training in community, afterschool, library, workforce, community college, health care, public parks and other local public access centers and consumer information kiosks in public and nonprofit human service agencies and small business community enterprise support centers, and in pre-school to postsecondary education school settings, and as supporters of the Illinois vision of a statewide Human Services Learning Network, do hereby state and affirm that:

• Digital Literacy, Access and Equity are essential for Illinois’ future: We require consistent, long- term investment from the public, private and voluntary sectors in order to achieve and sustain a healthy quality of life for individuals, families and communities.
• Digital Literacy rests upon a foundation of general literacy: Efforts to bridge the digital divide should integrate well across educational and civic institutions.
• Digital Literacy Matters for Everyone: People in all communities should have the opportunity to be connected to the world and to each other through a variety of technologies and platforms, regardless of location, age, economic standing, linguistic or physiological constraints.
• Digital Literacy and Access are essential for equitable use of Government and Public services.
• Communities of place, interest and concern afford opportunity for civic engagement, and Community Networking underpins Civic Engagement in the Information Age.
• Civic Engagement Matters as a way in which individuals, families and community enterprises “learn” digital literacy skills.
• We as a society and world benefit through the public convenience and necessity of affordable connectivity for all.
• We acknowledge the need for public and cooperative public-private digital literacy trust funds and outreach activities to enable all in society to participate.
  

City and Regional Gov. & Non-Profit Initiatives

III. Citizens’ Telecommunications & Technology Advisory Board , City of Seattle Department of Information Technology. The City of Seattle is committed to promoting a technology healthy community. This includes ensuring that residents have the information technology training and access needed to ensure civic and cultural participation, employment and lifelong learning.

The City’s major digital equality initiatives include the following:

1. Public access terminals in libraries, public buildings and community organizations • Technology Matching Funds to seed community-driven projects
2. Locate a CTC The Techmap, a community resource directory providing locations of Internet, computer and media access and training sites
3. Information Technology Indicators project to measure the impact of information technology on the health and vitality of the city
4. Seniors Compute, a combination of research, referral and an exciting Seniors Training Seniors In Technology program. Information Age Curriculum project to provide a first ramp and forum for discussion of the role of information and communication technology in our lives
5. Community capacity building, including organizing workshops, participation in community and technology center coalitions, and providing technical support, equipment and broadband Internet service.

Oversees the Seattle Community Technology Program and the Technology Matching Fund The Technology Matching Fund (the TMF) grant program was established in 1997 to support the community's efforts to close the digital divide and encourage a technology-healthy city. The program provides grants where the community's contribution of volunteer labor, materials, professional services, or cash will be "matched"by cash from the Technology Matching Fund. Funds are provided on a reimbursement basis. http://seattle.gov/tech/tmf/default.htm

Portal/Content: Monthly e-newsletter—Brainstorm, http://seattle.gov/tech/brainstorm/

Program Goals: The fund seeks to fund projects that reach technology underserved communities to address the following goals:

• Increase technology literacy
• Provide residents with access to computers, the Internet and other information technology
• Increase residents' use of technology for civic engagement and democratic participation. More information on civic engagement.

IV. TECH CORPS Georgia, Inc. (501c3) Vision: We see a Georgia where everyone who chooses can personally receive the benefit of information technology.

• All recognize the value
• Devices are as accessible as personal entertainment devices and telephones
• Useful and relevant content and services are available to all in their homes

1. Prevent educational gaps by helping all students have a higher quality computer use in schools and access in the home
2. Promote family self-reliance and economic resiliency by ensuring all adults can effectively use and have access to personal information technology in their homes
3. Promote the creation and sustenance of community based service and support infrastructure in all communities
4. Advocate for effective educational and governmental services that utilize the web and personal information technology
5. Attract mainstream IT providers to under-served areas The mission is accomplished by providing affordable greater access to the technology tools and resources needed to compete in the post secondary schools, workforces and markets of today and the future.
   

1. Recruit, place and support volunteers from the technology and business community to advise and assist these schools and communities in the introduction and integration of new technologies
2. Bring additional technology resources to schools through local and national partnerships with large and small technology companies
3. Build partnerships in support of educational technology among educators, businesses, and community members at the local, state, and national levels

V. The San Diego Futures Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the futures of San Diego County’s kids, teens, seniors, veterans, disabled individuals, and other community members by providing access to technology resources and training.

In 1999, the Board of Supervisors of San Diego County, California voted to enter into what was believed to be the biggest state or local government technology privatization ever. The County sought to remove itself from the IT business entirely by outsourcing all of its computer and telecommunications operations to private enterprise. In order to enable better government service and more efficient use of public sector resources, County government envisioned a system where residents are served “online instead of inline”, thereby creating “e-citizens.”

The Board of Supervisors required all competing entities bidding on the contract to include in their proposals an "added value" plan for giving back to the community of San Diego.

Through community collaborations, SDFF delivers hardware, software, training, education, and technical services to nonprofits, community-based organizations and schools that serve over half a million San Diego residents.

“We are committed to bring universal, affordable wireless broadband internet access to all San Francisco’s residents and businesses, and today we are one step closer to making good on that commitment," said Mayor Newsom. "Internet access is the best way to connect to the new knowledge-based economy. Providing that access citywide is the first phase of our TechConnect strategy to reach out to all of our communities.”

*Earthlink and Google Support for Digital Inclusion (DI) Programs (from their promotional materials) There are various components to a successful DI program, access is just step one!

1. Training focus – technology use, finances employment and more
2. Content to support: training topics, health education and more
3. Fundraising, grants and financing to facilitate computer and CPE purchases Leverage EL/Google relationships with OEM PC manufacturers, CPE vendors and alternative hardware providers such as MSN, Sony and MIT EL and Google are committed to the work with the City to create the most compelling and viable programs to meet the City’s Digital Inclusion needs.

Keyes David
Washington State signs digital inclusion and broadband bill On March 31st, Governor Christine Gregoire has just signed legislation creating a Washington State Community Technology Opportunity Program with an initial half million dollars for grants and capacity building! The legislation also legally defines community technology and digital inclusion, requires a state online directory of community tech programs, and establishes a planning process for broadband development and adoption. The Community Technology Opportunity Program will be administered by the Washington State University Extension. The broadband portion of the legislation is funded at $197,000 and calls for state coordination and local planning teams with local government, business, education and community organization participation. This is a tremendous first step in developing critical and more sustainable help for underserved residents of the state. The state Communities Connect Network (CCN) (www.communitiesconnect.org) was instrumental in providing expertise to policymakers on the needs and impact of community technology in the state. Research by the University of Washington for CCN, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, showed the importance of community technology learning centers to individuals, families and communities, with more than one million visits per year. The most compelling arguments for legislation were presented by the community technology providers from around the state, some of whom participated in CCN messaging training prior to testifying. The community technology legislation was supported by a broad constituency, including the Washington Technology Industry Association and the City of Seattle. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) played a major role in advancing the broadband planning effort. Seattle Representative Zack Hudgins led the effort towards passage of the final bill with Rep. John McCoy. Rep. Claudia Kauffman sponsored the community tech bill and Sen. Kohl-Welles sponsored the initial broadband legislation. This historic legislation was really made possible by many in the legislature and governor’s office and caring providers, clients and supporters across the state. See more at the City of Seattle Community Technology Program home page (www.seattle.gov/tech), and at the Communities Connect site (www.communitiesconnect.org). Legislation link: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2007-08/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Passed%20Legislature/6438-S2.PL.htm
12:35 AM, 04/01/2008

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