Adoption
We can't tell if we're closing the digital divide without more data
Much has been made of the digital underpinning of many of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals – gender equality, good health, quality education, industry innovation, and smart and sustainable cities – and the need to set ICT sub-targets for them.
Illinois forms council to get seniors and low-income residents online
Gov Bruce Rauner (R-IL) signed into law a bill designed to increase broadband access for the state's growing, but less-connected older population. The bill establishes a 21-member Broadband Advisory Council tasked with figuring out why more seniors aren't using the internet, creating digital literacy programs to overcome those barriers and exploring new technologies to increase broadband connectivity for residents 65 years and older. Among the council members is the secretary of innovation and technology, a spot currently filled by state Chief Information Officer Kirk Lonbom.
Report Questions Economic Impact of Rural Broadband
A new report from the American Action Forum questions the economic impact of rural broadband.
Slow internet? Fast internet? You might be paying the same price
A Q&A with Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA).
Comcast Says Its Internet Essentials Has Now Helped 6 Million Low-Income Americans
Comcast has announced that its subsidized Internet program Internet Essentials has now been provided to six million low-income Americans, and that it will expand the program to nearly one million low-income military veterans. Comcast said it has connected two million users to Internet Essentials just in the last year—its largest annual increase to date.
You can build, but will they subscribe?
In 2016, 15.4 percent or 48.9 million people lived in low-adoption neighborhoods, down from almost one-fifth in 2015. However, when looking at the share of folks living in low adoption neighborhoods by rurality, interesting dynamics surface. In 2016, more than half or 55 percent of those living in low-adoption neighborhoods were rural folks.
[Roberto Gallardo is Assistant Director of the Purdue Center for Regional Development and a Purdue Extension Community & Regional Economics Specialist]
The Key to Government’s Digital Transformation is Data Literacy
The amount of data collected by the federal government is reaching almost unfathomable levels, which leads to a more pressing question: What good is data if you can’t mine it for gold?
Obtaining indirect internet access: An examination how reasons for internet non-use relate to proxy internet use
As participation in society becomes largely dependent on use of internet-enabled technologies, internet non-users may seek alternative ways of using the internet. Proxy internet use (PIU), where internet non-users ask internet users to perform online activities on their behalf, is a strategy for obtaining (indirect) internet access.
Charter Communications Announces Second Round Of Grant Funding From $1 Million Commitment To Spectrum Digital Education
Spectrum Digital Education is a philanthropic initiative designed to support nonprofit organizations that educate community members on the benefits of broadband and how to use it to improve their lives. The grants are part of a $1 million commitment to provide digital education in communities Charter serves. In addition to the financial grants, Charter provides public service announcements (PSAs), workshops, and webinars to local nonprofit organizations.
FCC Seeks Comment on NTCA Petition for Temporary Waiver from Lifeline Minimum Service Standards
The Federal Communications Commission seeks comment on the Petition for Temporary Waiver filed by NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association (NTCA). NTCA, on behalf of its members and similarly situated operators, requests a temporary waiver from the Bureau’s updated Lifeline minimum service standards, “applicable to fixed, wireline broadband Internet access service . . . eligible for support by the Lifeline Universal Service Fund . . .