OE Report: March 2009

At Broadband Stimulus Meetings, One Economy Stresses Focus on the Poor

On March 16, One Economy CEO Rey Ramsey joined executives of other nonprofit organizations and officials at the U.S. Department of Commerce to discuss how broadband grants should be implemented through the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.

The roundtable discussion was part of a series of public comment hearings held by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Rural Utilities Services in order to help shape the broadband rule-making initiatives established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

These programs are intended to spur job growth and accelerate the deployment of broadband in un-served, underserved and rural areas. As Ramsey put it, "these funds give us an opportunity to create a culture of use where people will use technology to improve their lives: the social, economic and health sides of their lives."

Congress has appropriated $4.7 billion to establish the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), $250 million of which will be available for innovative programs that encourage sustainable adoption of broadband services.  $200 million will be made available to upgrade technology and capacity at public computing centers, including community colleges and public libraries. Up to $350 million of this funding will be designated for the development and maintenance of statewide broadband inventory maps.

Rey Ramsey stressed the importance of having clear goals for the results these funds should produce. "The intentionality that is most important to me is what we're going to do to assist the poor and those who have been left out," said Ramsey. "We haven't heard that yet in a very explicit way, but I think we need to be very intentional about how we're going to help the poor."

One Economy's 'Economic Survival Kit' Connects Families to Free Online Tools for Coping with the Recession

For years, One Economy has used online media to help low-income people enter the economic mainstream, including budgeting tools, information about government programs, and free services like the Beehive's Tax Tools.  As many low-income families struggle to cope with today's economic challenges, One Economy has created the Economic Survival Kit, a collection of resources and information across its media properties that helps users actively pursue financial stability and security.

The Economic Survival Kit includes the Survival Manual, an an expert Q&A taking place at the Beehive (www.thebeehive.org), One Economy's multilingual self-help web portal.  There, users will also find tools for acting on what they have learned, including information about accessing unemployment insurance, establishing good credit, and owning a home. The conversation continues on 247Townhall (www.247Townhall.org), an online community where users can offer opinions, answer community questions, and share their economic concerns.

New Girl-Focused Digital Connectors Program Serves San Francisco's Chinese Community

This month, a new group of One Economy Digital Connectors began a unique service to their San Francisco Community: using the skills they have learned to complete an asset mapping project assigned to them by the City of San Francisco's Department of Technology. Their work will help update the city's information on the technology resources in Chinatown. These young women are also conducting workshops with people in their neighborhoods, introducing them to free educational and asset building resources available online.

Amy Guo, Lier Guan, Iman Hatter and Linda Chee began their technology training with the Chinatown Digital Connectors Program in October 2008. Funded by a Tech Connect grant awarded to the YWCA of San Francisco and Marin, these four young women have been increasing their awareness of basic computing and the Internet, exploring careers and developing leadership skills. The program operates out of a computer lab in the historic YWCA apartments on Powell Street in Chinatown, which is home to elderly Chinese residents as well as the administrative offices of the YWCA of San Francisco and Marin offices.

One Economy currently operates Digital Connectors youth development programs in 21 cities around the country. Digital Connectors have contributed more than 58,000 hours of service to their communities.

New Digital Divide Partnership Will Connect Four New York City Communities to Broadband

One Economy has established a new partnership with the Urban Communications Transport Corporation and its affiliates, together forming the Digital Divide Partnership, a group whose goal is to bring ubiquitous and affordable broadband service to underserved and low-income communities in New York City.

To make this goal a reality, the Digital Divide Partnership has created a hybrid fiber/wireless residential broadband pilot program. This effort will connect 10,000 families living in 100 buildings owned by the New York City Housing Authority in Harlem, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens to broadband service. With this high-capacity fiber optic/wireless backbone, the buildings will also serve as hub-sites that will further extend the broadband network into underserved communities.

The Digital Divide Partnership will leverage the financial, infrastructure and manpower resources of its members to provide affordable wired and wireless broadband access, digital content, and training and employment opportunities to these underserved and low-income communities. One Economy will contribute to this effort by installing a wireless network, training youth in technology and leadership skills through a Digital Connectors program, and creating and distributing public-purpose media over the network.

RSVP: Join One Economy at TPS: Broadband Innovation

Join One Economy and the producers of Tech Policy Summit (TPS) at the inaugural TPS: Broadband Innovation conference on Monday, May 11, 2009 at the San Mateo Marriott hotel. Registration is free to anyone working for nonprofit, academic or government organizations; the corporate rate is $195.

Co-located with the 3rd annual Tech Policy Summit, TPS: Broadband Innovation is a daylong event designed to assist community and business leaders by highlighting broadband's many applications and offering best practices for improving Internet access and adoption.

Broadband has the potential not only to drive economic growth and job creation but to improve the delivery of education, healthcare, public safety and other vital services. TPS: Broadband Innovation will provide an in-depth look at state and federal efforts to improve broadband deployment and the call to develop a comprehensive national broadband strategy.

Sign up for TPS: Broadband Innovation today at http://Events.TechPolicyCentral.com to secure your spot. You can also save $100 off the cost of registration for the 3rd annual Tech Policy Summit, taking place May 11-13, with this Discount Code: 1ECON.

Jobs at One Economy

·    Senior Web Designer
·    Program Director: Atlanta
·    Americorps*VISTA leader, Americorps*VISTA volunteer
·    Interns: Public Policy/Business Development, Junior Web Editor, Communications

Learn more about these job opportunities and how to apply.