Community Benefits

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Community Benefits Digital inclusion Efforts
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What Is Digital Inclusion?
Every Minneapolis resident deserves access to
the social, civic, educational and economic
opportunities the Internet provides.
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A Nation Online?
68 of Americans use the Internet

• 70 of Whites
• 57 of African-Americans
• 38 of Americans with disabilities
• 37 of Hispanics
• 29 who have not graduated from High School
• 26 age 60 or older

Digital Divisions, Report of the Pew Internet
American Life Project, October 2005
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Persistent Barriers Include

• Limited technology literacy skills
• Anxiety, fear of technology tools
• Limited education, general literacy levels
• Language, accessibility barriers
• Irrelevant content
• Availability of affordable broadband service
  (rural and low-income communities)
• Cost of entry (hardware)

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Why is Access Important?

• Job listings applications
• E-Government services
• FAFSA- Student Aid application online
• Filing taxes, vehicle business licenses
• Register communicate with K-12 teachers
• Communicate with elected officials
• Loans and banking services
• Health care information (Medicare Part D)
• Social Inclusion

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The Digital Divide A Minneapolis Snapshot
Kim Havey, the former director of the Minneapolis
Empowerment Zone, estimated that less than 20 of
households in the Empowerment Zones
neighborhoods, which include Phillips, have home
computers.
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Phillips/ Ventura Neighborhoods
Using this estimate, there are 690 potential
computer users for each public-access computer
available in the neighborhood in any given
week. This includes public libraries, open labs
at schools, and CTCs.
Research by L. A. Stolarczyk Waite House,
Pillsbury United Communities Community Technology
Empowerment Project
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Digital Inclusion Requires

• Training

• Access

• Hardware

• Content

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By providing high speed, low-cost broadband
Internet service, will help bridge the
ACCESS gap.
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A Community Benefits Agreement provides a unique
opportunity to address the TECHNOLOGY LITERACY
gap.
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Community Benefits Agreement
A Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) is required
as part of any final contract with broadband/IP
vendor(s). The CBA will focus on how to best
support new technology users in underserved
communities.
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through support for the development of local,
relevant CONTENT
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and/or support for technology VOLUNTEER
MENTORING programs
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and/or support for HARDWARE refurbishing
programs discounts
Wireless router
Wireless card
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.and/or affordable SOFTWARE, including security,
accessibility and open source tools
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The Digital Access Equity Campaign
Residents and non-profit representatives have
been meeting

• A grassroots effort to inform, educate and
  organize Minneapolis residents around Digital
  Inclusion efforts, and discuss CBA issues.
• Community Meetings began in November 2005
• Sponsored by C-CAN, The Community Computer Access
  Network The Alliance for Metropolitan
  Stability, with support from the MSNet Fund of
  the Minneapolis Foundation

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What should the CBA include? --Assessing
Community Needs

• Online CBA Survey

www.DIGITALACCESS.ORG
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Ideas related to Community Benefits (from current
survey data)

• Subsidized or Free Individual Accounts

40 listed this as CRITICAL40 answered VERY
IMPORTANT
Discounted or Free Non-Profit Accounts
60 answered DISCOUNTED 33 answered FREE
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Free Service to Schools, Parks, Libraries and
Community Technology Centers (CTCs)
52 answered CRITICAL 28 answered VERY
IMPORTANT 14 answered IMPORTANT
Discounts to Small Businesses
48 answered IMPORTANT 20 answered VERY
IMPORTANT 17 listed this as CRITICAL
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To support efforts that address community
technology needs, a vendor supported Digital
Inclusion Fund might be part of the CBA.
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How will community-generated ideas
recommendations impact the Citys formal
contract negotiation process?
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Taskforce collects CBA ideas community surveys,
meetings, events and emails

Taskforce reviews, prioritizes and makes CBA
recommendations to negotiators
City negotiates CBA with Vendor (as part of
overall service contract)
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The Digital Inclusion Task Force
This taskforce will coordinate (and receive) all
of the community input that the City receives
through its own and other agencies meetings,
surveys and forums.
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The Digital Inclusion Task Force
The taskforce will then integrate that community
input to craft Community Benefits recommendations
that can be used during the contract
negotiations.
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Who serves on this Task Force?

• Community Leaders Representing
• K-12 Public Schools
• Minneapolis Libraries
• Non-Profit Organizations
• Higher Education (MNSCU and U of M)
• Greater Twin Cities United Way
• Corporate Foundations
• Local Employers, Businesses
• Local Government Agencies
• Minority, Senior and Disability Communities

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Task Force Objectives

• Articulate a Community Technology Agenda for
  the City of Minneapolis
• Review community input oversee
• CBA recommendations

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Community input will help the Task Force, city
staff, vendors, and elected officials

• understand existing technology needs

• examine community-based strategies
• that meet these needs

• negotiate benefits that help bring more
• Minneapolis residents online

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Get Involved, Stay Informed!

• Complete the online CBA survey at
• http//www.digitalaccess.org
• Attend C-CAN/ Alliance for Metropolitan Stability
  roundtable meetings. Call [phone]
• Attend City-sponsored events and pilot activities
  information on City and DigitalAccess websites

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visit www.digitalaccess.org for meeting dates
and locations
http// www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/ wirelessminneapo
lis/