Digital Inequality Assignment

Theta Group: Clifton Weight, Sue Bodden, Melissa Baker, Jennifer Weddel

What is the Digital Divide?

The digital divide involves groups of people in the United States, both children and adults, who don't have access to the internet and related technologies like computers, but also don't have the skills to use them effectively.

In the United States, approximately 50% of our citizens fall into this category.

What are the effects of the digital divide? Those without access to technology

have limited ability to apply for jobs have limited ability to apply for higher education have limited ability to access online training materials for their current jobs

Who are the digitally disadvantaged?

Students who are from low income homes Students who live in rural areas of Idaho Students who live in geographically remote areas of Idaho Families of unemployed or underemployed adults

Families who choose to not participate in the digital world create their own digital divide.

First priority

Provide High-speed internet and mobile access for all state residents Provide incentives for Internet Service Providers to build infrastructure in remote areas Subsidize Internet Service Providers to provide low cost internet to all state residents

Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the Universal Service Fund

The maj

The major goals of Universal Service as mandated by the 1996 Act are as follows:

To promote the availability of quality services at just, reasonable, and affordable rates, To increase access to advanced telecommunications services throughout the Nation, To advance the availability of such services to all consumers, including those in low income, rural, insular, and high cost areas at rates that are reasonably comparable to those charged in urban areas, To increase access to telecommunications and advanced services in schools, libraries and rural health care facilities, To provide equitable and non-discriminatory contributions from all providers of telecommunications services to the fund supporting universal service programs.

E-Rate

Provides subsidies for Internet access, telecommunications services, internal infrastructure and basic maintenance of internal connections to schools and libraries Subsidy is based on need depending on the citizens or students that it will provide service to. Subsidies can range from -90% of the cost 20

The school or Library only has to provide the hardware and software to support the service In Idaho for 2012 $14,565,658.88 has been

Second Priority
1. Install computers in all public libraries in the state and expand the hours when the computers are available. 2. Expand staffing and other resources so that public schools can be open to the public after normal school hours, on weekends, and during the summer months.

Third Priority
Provide Information Literacy courses to enhance computer skills and enable knowledgeable use of digital technologies. Some topics to consider

Word processing E-readers with educational materials Efficient and Safe Web browsing Web tools including content resources

Fourth Priority

Increase access to technology by providing computing devices for checkout free of charge or at a nominal fee.
o Kindles preloaded with books or educational material. o Tablets with wireless air cards built in for mobile internet access. o Laptops loaded with educational games and productivity software.

Lastly ..
Develop free online educational content, giving first priority to content most relevant to lower socio-economic groups before content that is relevant to the rest of the public.

With a wealth of free online learning repositories there is little need to devote resources to developing content. Training for how to find good resources would be more useful to the users.

The Disadvantage of $50 million??

Once it's determined how to spend this money, how do we maintain this new level of digital equalities? Also, as new technologies become available, how do we find the funds to update the ones already in place?

Bibliography

Country rankings. ITR News. Copyright 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from http://www.itu.int/net/itunews/issues/2010/03/26.aspx
Hargittai, Eszter. The Digital Divide and What to Do About It. Sociology Department, Princeton University. hargittai-digitaldivide.pdf. Copyright 2003. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from http://www.eszter.com/research/pubs/hargittai-digitaldivide.pdf National Education Technology Plan 2010. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010