The Internet for Everyone: Digital Philadelphia

I attended this day long series of discussions on June 23rd about how Philly can best take advantage of the Broadband Stimulus Package. Cities can start applying for stimulus $, as an announced last week by Joe Biden, starting next week.

In Philly the digital divide is a serious issue. An estimated 50% of the city does not have daily internet access (though there are no good studies on this which in itself indicates how overlooked this is). The Digital Justice Coalition and Media Mobilizing Project have done great work around bringing this issue to light as has the Digital Impact Group http://www.wirelessphiladelphia.net which is a rebranding of Wireless Philadelphia after the failure of Earthlink and Mayor Street.

Todd and Hannah have an excellent op-ed in the Daily News today about the potential for Philly to move forward with this: http://mediamobilizing.org/internet-everyone-digital-philadelphia

At the June 23rd meeting I participated in the 'Good Governance' breakout. Our conclusions were to prioritize 1) universal access, 2) open source technology, 3) trainings for residents. See below for details:

Principle 1
The city's broadband stimulus proposal must strive for universal access in order to avoid creating a society where privileged residents have access to information, while disadvantaged residents are marginalized. Universal access encompasses both hardware and internet connectivity to the home.

Principle 2
The city's broadband stimulus proposal must ensure that any technology the city implements is open source. This means that non-profits may adopt the platforms and developers may collaboratively contribute to them. An open source platform would also result in consistency across websites, making them easier for residents to access.

Principle 3
The city's broadband stimulus proposal must provide training for residents to learn how to create their own content--such as websites, blogs and broadcasts--as well as provide community portals for disseminating this content. Jointly, training and portals will promote civic engagement.

Principle 4
The city's broadband stimulus proposal must provide resources and digital media training for institutions that already offer social services and opportunities for participation in the public sphere.