This post is brief comments to expand some comments already filed in the WA Department of Commerce comment process and is meant to spark other discussions as well.
Links to this post and other related posts will be posted within the Department of Commerce comment platform both to meet requested deadlines and to provide avenues for further discussion.
Links about the full planning process including opportunities for continued video conference discussions can be found in this Benton Institute for Broadband and Society post
For even more details about broadband development programs and previous work see WA Internet For All
Although the comments in this post have already been submitted once through the Department of Commerce process, it seems important to be able to continue collaboration with different partners.
In some cases Google docs have been used. Readers are invited to leave comments here mostly because this platform is easier for this contributor to deal with. All comments are moderated but should appear shortly after posting.
Here are some fast impressionistic comments drawing on and
stepping through the document submitted by the Digital Equity Learning Network of Seattle / King County
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fnmXJfItWx06J9I51mIUdkQZbugOKoUol_6wH-uAmqk/edit?usp=drive_link.
That document reflects a compilation of comments offered by
different people who participated in DELN discussions. In a few cases my
comments here expand on or differ from the DELN comments.
Section 1.2.2:
Strategies p 11
Strategy 4: Provide services that promote digital
literacy.
Lots of emphasis in the draft plan developed by the Department of Commerce on collaboration with OSPI.
Umm, people of all ages, abilities, backgrounds, need
digital literacy. Perhaps it would be useful as well to mention collaboration
with bodies such as Area Agencies on Aging, Independent Living Centers,
Vocational Rehabilitation agencies as well as Work Source, DSHS, DoC, all of whom might have roles in reducing barriers for different categories of WA residents who experience digital divide especially strongly.
Terminology
I agree with the suggestion from DELN that compiling a glossary of commonly used terms
would be a great idea.
A parallel idea would be to invite a bunch of interpreters
to get together in different language groups and agree on preferred
translations for the local terms.
That said, I would like to add a couple concepts
Communities of practice: people maybe from different
specialties working on a common problem such as digital inclusion or
accessibility and the transportation network
Peer support networks: typically volunteer networks of
people who share a common trait such as language or disability and who have
in-depth knowledge specific to their point of commonality. An obvious example
might be a bunch of blind people who get together regularly to talk about
technology. Honestly a bible study group
of seniors who all have tablets and help each other figure out how to connect
on Zoom also counts.
It is never terrible if marketing teams from different
telecom providers might be interested in helping cultivate such groups
especially if the groups help the company better serve their customers.
Community Anchor Institutions: in the last legislative
session discussion of the WA Digital Equity Act included questions of what
constitutes a community anchor institution. I favor adding courts to the list
particularly if better internet access can save people in rural areas need to
drive long distances to do basic court activities.
KPI suggestions:
Statistics should be collected about numbers of people who
acquire connectivity but also on numbers of people still using internet at the
same or higher level 6 and 12 months from initial connection.
Statistics should also be gathered about what new functions
people learn. In some situations, this information could be collected by
community partner organizations. In other cases, it would be interesting to
work with entities such as banks and their marketing departments who might
collaborate with community partner organizations to report counts of new
customers for online services.
No further suggestions at this time.
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