March 29, 2010

By Jenna Mink
The Daily News (Bowling Green, KY)

Stimulus money will put computers in low-income homes across the nation

As the federal government promotes high-speed Internet, a Bowling Green organization is part of a nationwide group that’s trying to improve broadband access.

Connected Nation, a public-private organization that started in Bowling Green, and about 20 other organizations are teaming up to bring high-speed Internet to low-income households throughout the country.

The partnership was formed after the Federal Communications Commission recently delivered its National Broadband Plan to Congress, calling for at least 90 percent of U.S. homes to have broadband by 2020 - more than 60 percent of households currently have high-speed Internet, according to a news release.

Connected Nation, which now works in 30 states and Puerto Rico, targets areas that lack high-speed Internet service and tries to bring access to those regions. The biggest barriers to broadband access are costs and education about the benefits of high-speed Internet, said Brian Mefford, CEO of Connected Nation.

Now, businesses such as Comcast, Time Warner Cable and AT&T, are making that mission easier by discounting monthly subscription costs and donating used modems. Other companies, such as Microsoft and Dell, are providing computer discounts.

Connected Nation will provide technology training to residents in those areas. Workers also educate people about the advantages of high-speed Internet, Mefford said.

Broadband helps people financially, by allowing them to file taxes and bank online. They can also apply for jobs and access educational resources, such as online tools that help students with their homework. Connected Nation helps seniors set up e-mail accounts and teaches them how to swap pictures with family members online, he said.

“The biggest barriers have to be addressed to get those people online,” Mefford said. “This program will begin addressing those barriers starting with the poorest of the poor.”

The project will cost about $78 million - the group has applied for about $52 million in federal stimulus funding and expects those funds to be approved this summer. The remaining costs will be funded by private donations, Mefford said.

If stimulus funds are approved, the project should begin this summer and last about two years. The FCC, however, has recommended to Congress that the project be ongoing, Mefford said.

Within the first two years, officials hope to place computers and broadband connections in 250,000 homes across the country. The project targets families with an average annual income of $13,000.

“It makes sense to start with that segment and build public trust in the use of federal (money) for such a program,” Mefford said.

In Kentucky, project officials will work with the Kentucky Housing Corp. and are working on a demonstration project in a Lexington neighborhood.

According to Connected Nation’s most recent statistics from 2007, in Warren County, about 69 percent of the population owns a computer and 42 percent subscribes to broadband.

Locally, Connected Nation will recruit people, mainly college students, to provide technical support and educate residents about broadband. The positions will be paid and will be similar to internships. They could begin by late summer, Mefford said.

“We’ll also be looking for other adults in the community who are technology savvy,” Mefford said, “who might be interested in being that type of ongoing resource.”

Read more about Connected Nation and the Digital Adoption Coalition

March 23, 2010

By Kim Hart
The Hill

Internet providers, computer manufacturers and a number of non-profits announced today that they have formed a coalition to help increase U.S. broadband adoption in the poorest households.

The Digital Adoption Coalition is comprised of One Economy, Connected Nation, AT&T, Comcast, Dell, Intel, Time Warner Cable and USTelecom, to name a few.

The coalition aims to provide discounted broadband service, discounted computers and digital literacy training to low-income households by working with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

One Economy filed an application with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration last week to receive broadband stimulus funding to support the digital training, equipment discounts and project administration.

"We see this as a great opportunity to create these ecosystems when you get residents hooked up to broadband and let people experience the merits," said Ken Eisner, managing director of OE Ventures at One Economy.

If the Commerce Department accepts the coalition's application, it would fund two year's worth of broadband service and digital literacy training. None of the funding would go to the broadband providers, who have agreed to offer free installation and 50 percent discounts on modem costs and service plans.

As part of this program, Microsoft, Dell and Intel agreed to match federal government spending toward new computer purchases for low-income households. Working through HUD lets the coalition help low-income families living in multi-family and project-based Section 8 housing get access to broadband, he said.

"The broadband adoption gap in HUD is often the biggest," Eisner told The Hill. "These are the poorest of the poor, where the average family income is slightly north of $12,000 a year."The coalition has also had preliminary discussions with the Department of Education and the Social Security Administration.

According to the Commerce Department, 35 percent of American households do not have broadband at home and low adoption rates are mostly found in low-income communities. The Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Plan called for more public-private partnerships to address the digital divide and adoption gaps.

Learn more about the Digital Adoption Coalition

March 9, 2010

By CNNMoney.com

Application, Video Deadline Approaching for Windstream Charitable Program