Digital literacy remains a sticking point in getting...
Digital literacy remains a sticking point in getting Americans online, said Angela Simpson, NTIA acting deputy secretary, at a National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors conference event Wednesday. “Broadband adoption is the least common denominator in helping people accomplish…
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their goals,” said Simpson. “Those who do not have broadband are disadvantaged from educational opportunities, access to healthcare information and government services.” Through its Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, NTIA learned partnerships with neighborhood institutions are effective in helping people recognize why they need to get broadband, said Simpson. “The most successful projects show how the Internet will matter to people in a tangible way,” she said. Older Adults Technology Services (OATS), a BTOP grantee, created digital literacy courses that directly connected to seniors, said Tom Kamber, the company’s executive director. “We created a curriculum for what 65-year-olds want to learn, which is Internet and email,” said Kamber. “Once they have a good experience with technology, they may want to take the next step to buy a laptop and get Internet access.” With most of the BTOP grants ending this month, Simpson said, the political climate in D.C. is not conducive to more funding, so NTIA needs to distribute lessons it learned as widely as possible. When its BTOP grant expires, OATS will replace those dollars with local, state and private funding, said Kamber.