Public-private partnerships are key to closing the digital...
Public-private partnerships are key to closing the digital divide with a targeted approach with different kinds of programs, said municipal telecom lawyer Lori Sherwood of Kissinger & Fellman, on a NATOA webinar Monday. Libraries are partners to provide adoption and…
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access resources, said Larra Clark, American Library Association director-program on networks. Libraries provide a “triple play” of access, with physical locations with Internet infrastructure, staffed by information professionals and robust and diverse electronic content, said Clark. “Increasing community partnerships with libraries will help communities leverage the limited public resources we have.” Boston residents have several barriers to adoption that will keep them from using the Internet, said Debra Socia, Tech Goes Home executive director. The Boston-based nonprofit provides 15 hours of relevancy training to enable community residents to train others, said Socia. Boston residents can also find low-cost choices to connect to the Internet through the Connect2Compete portal such as Comcast Internet Essentials and Freedom Pop, she said. Over the past three years, 10,000 Boston residents have participated in the program, and Tech Goes Home has partnered with other community institutions to connect 10,000 residents to the Internet over the next year, said Socia. “With peer-to-peer engagement, we can establish a level of trust, because the trainers are people that they know.” Austin, Texas, has also established programs to get residents to connect to the Internet, said John Spiers, city program coordinator. The city has a $200,000 grant program for technology opportunities that provides a one-to-one matching opportunity, said Spiers. The program has funded about $2 million in projects in Austin, he said. With Google Fiber coming to Austin, there are more opportunities in the city for competition, said Spiers. “We support competition, especially when the price point is lowered,” he said. “It will best serve the general public, and it will provide the best result -- more access.”