BROADBAND COMMUNITIES is the leading source of information on digital and broadband technologies for buildings and communities. Our editorial aims to accelerate the deployment of Fiber-To-The-Home and Fiber-To-The-Premises.
Issue link: https://bbcmag.epubxp.com/i/232134
we can't give participants a decent learning experience with more people. At a recent training session, one of our trainers could be heard saying, "Keyboard? Tat's the big thing in front of you with all the buttons!" 5. The cost factor must be overcome. Te entry points to becoming a productive user of the Internet are simply too expensive for low-income people. Te cost of connecting includes having an Internet service provider, the necessary hardware and the education to really beneft from being online. We thought long and hard about a price point for our refurbished computers. We know that people value something more if they have some personal investment in it. Plus, we don't want to see our devices ending up in a pawn shop in a week. Our basic price is $100 for our refurbished PCs, but we give a $50 voucher to qualifed low-income people who complete our basic introduction to the Internet classes. Some people are now paying $5 a month on a layaway plan. On the connectivity side, even $10 a month can be too much for families that have incomes of less than $25,000 a year, so we are promoting Google Fiber's $300 for seven years of 5 Mbps of Internet plan. For those for whom even that is out of reach, we are working to fnd other extremely afordable ways to help the poorest of the poor get online. Wireless networks have emerged as the most cost-efective approach, especially in complexes where multiple families live. Education is the No. 1 thing that lifts people from poverty. In a digital society, it is impossible to pursue a quality education without access to the Internet. UPDATE: Connecting for Good just opened its frst community technology center in a needy neighborhood of Kansas City and established a relationship with nearby Donnelly College to involve its students in helping to operate the center. v Michael Liimatta has 30 years' experience in nonproft management and online higher education. He is the president and co-founder of Connecting for Good, an organization dedicated to bridging the digital divide. Tis article was adapted from his recent blog post at www.connectingforgood.org. You can reach him at michael@connectingforgood.org. 6. If we had a million dollars to spend … we would create an organization similar to AmeriCorps dedicated to digital inclusion. We would train an army of fred-up young people, provide them support for a year and set them up in the neighborhoods with low Internet adoption. Tere, they would work on setting up Wi-Fi hotspots and publicaccess computer centers where they could build one-onone, face-to-face relationships with the neighborhood. By building trust and compassionate handholding, they would lead residents into the digital mainstream. It's going to take "getting up close and personal" to bring the people who need the Internet most into a place where they can take advantage of all the benefts they can fnd online. At Connecting for Good, we are driven every day in the pursuit of this work because of our three core values: • Internet connectivity equals opportunity. It is an absolute necessity to fully participate as a productive citizen in a digital society. • Education is the No. 1 thing that lifts people from poverty. In a digital society, it is impossible to pursue a quality education without access to the Internet. • In-home Internet access must be viewed as an essential modern utility, like phone service, electricity and running water. Using our three-pronged strategy of connectivity, hardware and digital literacy, we are closing the digital divide every day in a lasting, signifcant way. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 93