Digital Access – the other side of the coin…
Featuring Catherine Settanni
Wednesday, March 14, 5:00 p.m.
2314 University Avenue West in St. Paul
Access to essential information collected, organized and made available – or not – by the government is increasingly shaped by technology. At breakneck speed government services are moving online, driven by multiple technology factors, including broadband.
As cities and towns move forward with their municipal network plans, advocates for low-income, new immigrant and novice technology users have sounded this alarm: Moving public services and information online, while both efficient and cost-saving, ignores the persistent barriers to technology use that exist in both urban and rural communities. Intractable barriers include limited technology literacy skills in underserved communities and access to affordable broadband services.
Recently, a coalition of non-profits and city residents secured the first significant community-managed benefits agreement as part of the Wireless Minneapolis vendor contract. As a result, other cities venturing into municipal networks have begun to emulate this strategy as one way to ensure that community-based technology access and literacy programs are developed and supported as essential, explicit and intrinsic elements of emerging networks – worthy of the same attention as the specific technology itself.
Catherine Settanni has headed the Digital Access + Equity campaign in Minneapolis that led to a strong community benefits agreement embedded in the Wireless Minneapolis contract. She is an activist for whom telecom and information access are inextricable and a tireless leader who knows how to move from theory to practical application.
This meeting is free and open to the public. The office building at 2314 University is just a block east of Raymond on the south side of University. The #16 bus goes by the door; the #50 bus stops at Raymond & University. Accessible parking east of the office building; enter through the east door. Watch for signs.
Sponsored by the Telecommunications and Information Policy Roundtable (TIPR), and the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information (MNCOGI)
as part of Sunshine Week 2007
For a recent and useful study of the digital divide, click here.