Adam Fiser

1
Adam Fiser

• PhD Candidate FIS/UofT, KMDI Fellow
• Thesis Work Study of a leading not for-profit
  Aboriginal broadband network and its transition
  beyond the Connecting Canadians Agenda (K-Net)
• Research Affiliations
• Research Interests Politics of Computing, ICT
  development Community/Org Change, ICT
  use/non-use

2
Reconfiguring Access to Community Networks in
Ontario

• Opportunities for Research in a Broadband enabled
  Ontario The case of SSHA, K-Net and Aboriginal
  communities

3
What are Community Networks?

• A CN may consist of regional interests such as
  local government, library and school boards,
  health service providers, community
  organizations, SMEs, and other parties interested
  in supporting the broadband needs of the area.
  Partners may also include local telecom or ISP
  services - all forming a broad-based, community
  effort (usually directed by a not-for profit
  organization)
• CNs vary by size, geography, politics, user base
• http//rno.on.ca/NETWORKS/CBN.htm

4
CN Research CRACIN

• The CN funding environment can be volatile (like
  Canadas not-for profit sector in general)
• Project funding rather then base funding
• Uncertain and arbitrary timelines for funding
  opportunities and project development
• Funding comes with heavy accountability burdens
• Successful CNs are strong relationship builders
• But relationship building is a long and careful
  process that requires institutional embeddedness
  (e.g., in health, education, government, and
  police sectors) and direct contact with key
  institutional actors and mediators

5
CN Research CWIRP

• High levels of user demand, institutional
  embeddedness, and the presence of mediators
  (e.g., CN advocacy networks, federal telecom
  officers) are not sufficient guarantors of CN
  sustainability. Beware the following
• Community politics Local actors can be divided
  over who owns, controls, shapes the communitys
  network
• Work Overload In small community operations,
  the Network Mgr often has to be the jack of all
  trades, which increases chances of conflict and
  burnout
• Brain Drain/HR incapacity If theres no
  retention strategy, trained and experienced local
  network personnel will search for better
  opportunities!

6
Reconfiguring Access

• The Fundamental Research Question for the next
  321 minutes
• How does ICT (e.g., broadband) reconfigure
  access to people, information, services, and
  technology?
• Cf. William Dutton/OII (1996)

7
Reconfiguring Access Neither Top Down, nor
Bottom Up

• Reconfiguring access is about creating and making
  choices, whether to fund, develop, use/reuse
  ICTs
• Decisions at every point can reconfigure patterns
  of access and use/non-use The org model is
  flat/horizontal (neither top down, nor)
• We need to study the local actors/decision-makers
  that reconfigure access in particular communities
  as well as the policymakers, program
  implementers, ISPs, etc. that shape ICT access
  for multiple communities
• We need to study situations of ICT use and
  non-use in actual community settings (Mixed
  methods)

8
An Opportunity for Broadband Research in Ontario

• Subject Smart Systems for Health Agency (SSHA)
• Research Question How will SSHA reconfigure
  access to Ontario CNs and Ontario health
  services?
• Case Aboriginal communities and Aboriginal
  health services in Ontario
• Actors/Decision-makers Ministry of Health, SSHA,
  CNs (e.g., K-Net), Aboriginal communities, health
  service providers, individual users/non-users

9
SSHA E-Health Infrastructure (Since Jan. 2003)

• SSHA manages Ontarios emerging ONE E-health
  Network (including telemedicine, e-medical
  records mgmt, EHR, health card validation,
  collaboration/telework, even VOIP solutions)
• Initially SSHA pursued the creation of a
  broadband service infrastructure that would run
  parallel to whatever existing public and/or
  market-driven infrastructures where in place.
• Problem SSHA found that it would undermine local
  Community Networks if it took away their anchor
  tenant (Health Sector)

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How will SSHA Reconfigure Access to Ontario CNs?

• Solution Instead of rip and replace SSHA now
  works with CNs to augment existing and potential
  community-based broadband infrastructure for
  e-health (network refresh concept)
• They have decided to work with Ontario CNs, like
  K-Net (Ontarios largest network of Aboriginal
  CNs), to potentially leverage existing expertise,
  technical infrastructure, and regionally
  influential social/political networks

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Case SSHA K-Net

• Funding Environment Ontario Ministry of Health
  funds SSHA including connectivity for Aboriginal
  health services SSHA operates at arms length,
  contracts K-Net (SLA)
• Service Level Agreement (Fall 2006)
• SSHA manages Ontarios ONE E-Health Network,
  providing and facilitating e-health services,
  subsidizing health sectors consumption of CN
  bandwidth
• K-Net connects local Aboriginal CNs and health
  services, carrying their data to the ONE Network
  K-Net Services staff mediates between SSHA,
  Aboriginal constituents, and partner orgs

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Scope of SSHA/K-Net Case

• Targeting Aboriginal Ontario 140 First Nations
  communities (remote/rural), plus sites for the
  Métis Nation of Ontario (urban), and other
  Aboriginal groups
• Connecting a Variety of Health Service Providers
  - Remote/Rural/Urban gt200 Health Care sites
  (Hospitals, Health Access Centres, Telehealth
  sites)

13
How will SSHA Reconfigure Access to Ontario CNs?

• If I was in the Ontario Government, Id like to
  know
• Who are the actors and how are their decisions
  reconfiguring access and use? What issues will be
  of concern to different community groups, health
  service providers, users/non-users, and local CN
  operators?
• How will the SSHA network refresh reconfigure
  access to other broadband services offered
  through Ontario CNs (e.g., new media services)?
• How will SSHAs presence impact Ontario CNs
  (e.g., new standards, usage patterns,
  relationships, sustainable funding, more
  work/stress)?

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Links/Thanks

• CRACIN.CA
• CWIRP.CA
• KNET.CA and TELEHEALTH.KNET.CA
• SSHA.ON.CA
• Reconfiguring Access/OII/Dutton
• www.oii.ox.ac.uk