Horace Bothroyd III recently wrote an article about his frustrations on trying to be in the mainstream as far as any electronic access. His difficulties are a common theme for many of us who live as "financially challenged" people. He and other low income people have good reasons for this frustration and it even has an Official Name! It is called "The Digital Divide" and the government recognizes and uses this term as a sort of "official description" as to why the low income and especially the homeless are being disenfranchised from the mainstream,.
What is the Digital Divide? What does that mean?
Well, on the ground, the Digital Divide means that, even though the media is considered in essence a "utility", the upper classes can afford access to the Internet, television, and radio ~ but these forms of paid media is simply not affordable for the low income. Even though they are being denied this diverse access that so much of their community depends upon, few low income folks can access these forms of media without paying. This is the Digital Divide ...
More over the squiggily thing ....
The readily available AM and FM radio has been taken over in many cities by the 6 companies who own them all. They all choose to broadcast only the conservative voices in thousands of media markets and only a few other points of view, IF they are aired at all. Television, even the local stations, have been "digitalized" in many cities, requiring special equipment or newer and more expensive televisions that get the digital signals in order to watch them without paying cable fees. The more diverse satellite radio costs money, as does cable TV, as well as Internet access.
Most low income people simply do not have the funds to pay for such a "luxury" when they can barely afford the rent (if they can afford to pay rent at all). And in rural areas no matter what class you are, there is no high speed Internet access at all except for satellite, which is ridiculous in price. And in spite of their high fees, these rural companies still limit the Internet so much that one can pay to stream a movie but not be allowed to watch it because the company "throttles" the content, meaning they only allow a small amount of information coming down to to their client's computer or television for those exorbitant monthly fees.
Furthermore cities negotiate with telecommunications companies that in essence allows these companies to become monopolies leaving little choice for any resident to access any other media. Adding even more teeth to these unholy alliances, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 changed the law that only allowed a company to own one type of media. This bill now allows companies to own many types of media such as blanketing all the major newspapers, local radio stations, the Internet and television so that the only voice is theirs and this is happening in communities across the nation.
Therefore, unless anyone can afford to pay the fees required for any media access, this is the only way they can get diverse voices about the issues and trends that the poor can never see. And worse, these large communications companies are pushing to allow these Internet companies to decide on a whim whether or not they will allow certain websites or content to be accessed, slowing down speeds and even blocking whatever they deem is proper for their customers to access.
The 9th Circuit Court has made it clear they are about to rule in favor of these media giants and there is little we can do at this point about a court order. http://www.wired.com/.... So even paying customers could be limited as to what websites they can access. They call this issue "network neutrality" but already this is being implemented as demonstrated by the experiences of rural residents. The truth is even with paying customers, the Internet as we know it, is about to die. But fear not, this is not the end if we speak up!
Few of these problems are important to anyone with a low income because they cannot access any of these media types anyway. But most are quite aware how this society is depending more and more on such media and the importance of keeping up with it for their own access to services and other needs. So they count themselves "lucky" if they can access a computer at the library where there is a waiting list to get on IF they know how to use a computer, or if they know how to text a relative for help on their "Obama phone", with the monthly 250 minutes they may have been qualified to get.
But the truth is We The People have paid for and own these airwaves, we only allow corporations access by in essence leasing them. Since the poor pay the highest rate of taxes in every single state they have paid for it too. Therefore because our government is well aware of who is paying for it, there is one bright light about the Telecommunications Act that SHOULD allow everybody this access, but is often ignored. Section 254 Article 3 of this act says, and I quote:
all regions of the Nation.
(3) ACCESS IN RURAL AND HIGH COST AREAS- Consumers in all
regions of the Nation, including low-income consumers and those
in rural, insular, and high cost areas, should have access to
telecommunications and information services, including
interexchange services and advanced telecommunications and
information services, that are reasonably comparable to those
services provided in urban areas and that are available at
rates that are reasonably comparable to rates charged for
similar services in urban areas.
`(4) EQUITABLE AND NONDISCRIMINATORY CONTRIBUTIONS- All
providers of telecommunications services should make an
equitable and nondiscriminatory contribution to the
preservation and advancement of universal service.
`(5) SPECIFIC AND PREDICTABLE SUPPORT MECHANISMS- There
should be specific, predictable and sufficient Federal and
State mechanisms to preserve and advance universal service.
Again, what does this mean? Well it can mean and has been interpreted in the past, that a portion of funding that is allocated and negotiated by the government in grants and other funding has to be given for low income access. This means that, when cities are negotiating with these companies that these companies have to allocate a certain amount of their services for low income access.
But often these negotiations are lopsided, meaning that the corporations have an army of lawyers to negotiate with one head of the communications department and perhaps a few city council members who are most likely not lawyers. Therefore these corporate lawyers can drown out the needs of the poor, so many cities do not even consider this as part of their negotiations.
While the most impacted is the low income, the truth is, the poor are the "canaries in the mine" for the rest of us, as they usually are "canaries" for other programs and laws. If you can screw the poor and nobody says a word, then hey, let it spread to everybody else since this way it makes everything "equal". If there is silence and no action, then it becomes "legal precedence" meaning that it is already being commonly done even though the law says those actions are a violation of the law. Then these armies of corporate lawyers can argue in court it must be OK with everyone since it is already being done. So this "precedence" allows courts to "re-interpret" the law to whatever the community routinely abides to make it "equal" for more than the poor and then with court rulings, they can impose the same treatment for everyone.
This is why the voices of We The People can be vital. While these corporations can demand their own criteria communities can still negotiate with demands that these corporation allow universal access if they want to do business with us! If there is community awareness of these negotiation and voices demanding to be a part of them, this is the key to making sure our communities still provide access for all without network neutrality being part of the contract.
There are steps anyone can take to educate themselves and others about what is going on in their communities. Any citizen has the right to access to this information:
Begin by requesting from your city what kind of negotiations they have made with communications companies. You have a right to know, plus this will provide you not only with direct budget information and where it is going, but also the names of the companies, the names of your CTO, etc. You could request this information from your local city council, the mayor's office, or even call the city directory. Sometimes council members are part of a technical committee, and this committee participation is true all the way up through your state and national legislators. Schedule a meeting with them and tell them you would like to know what they are doing about the digital divide.Think about ways that it could be improved such as putting funding in places that benefit the low income, not just mega-non-profits or government agencies.
Sign up with the he Electronic Frontier Foundation's newsletter and alerts. They have been active for years, informing the public about what is going on with the FCC and legislation. This organization began at Stanford University where the Internet was born. Often their action advise is local to you as well as taking national stands. These are the ultimate (and often original) geeks who were and are there as far as the true intentions were when the Internet began. They are very active in trying to ensure everybody has access. https://www.eff.org/
Consider beginning your own CTC (Community Technological Center) non-profit. There may be funding for you with some grant writing and networking with other organizations. I realized for instance there were no CTCs in my city for off hour access (evening, weekends, perhaps early morning). This is an important gap! Most "McJobs", over 70%, are off hour jobs and so accessing the regular CTC is not always available. When I suggested this idea for an off-hour CTC to my city CIO (the head of my city's technology department) and he LOVED this idea!
Many non-profits already have an informal CTC and do not get funding. They allow their client's access to their computers without compensation or funding for that purpose. Maybe you could partner up with them and see if there is a way to get support and funding for things like getting more space and equipment in their buildings for a CTC, or for an off hour CTC, etc. Often these politicians consider you already have a CTC in your local library and I don't know about your community, our libraries are always packed and they are usually not open on off hours.
It might be a little bit of a fight to make them aware the library is not always available for many of the working poor. As a matter of fact, never forget you are in competition from some well funded and heueuege non-profits as well as government agencies for this CTC money, who most likely have been getting it for years.They may feel they are entitled to this funding This is why partnering with them is a good way to create a way to become allies instead of adversaries competing for the small slice of the pie there is. Some key words to use most likely to get you in the door: "kids" "job search", "disability", "education" and "seniors". Politicians as you know LOVE these words and they are the ones holding the purse strings (mostly in your state and national House). These phrases also "trickle down" to non-profits, foundations and for grant writing and support.
I know, I know. This is A LOT of work for people who are scrambling every day just to make ends meet. It is heueueuge and needs the support of everyone, the upper income as well (are you hearing this, Kos members)?. And things like grant writing is an art, most poor people do not have those skills ~ but few others have those skills either, no matter how much money they have. However in a large and diverse community such as Kos perhaps there are people here who could help.
Finally, I have to leave a couple things with you before I go that I have learned as a low income disabled senior who worked McJobs all my adult life. Every time I needed services I had to make a case for it, and in essence, I was writing a grant! We have learned a lot of survival skills that is not that different than what you need to be a voice for the Digital Divide. It is not just about shouting and waving signs, it is about rolling up your sleeves and assuming like any other citizen, you have a place at the table. Contact me via Kos Mail and perhaps we can work together to get enough of a voice for others to hear using the unique talents each of us have to offer.
My two cents
Cat in Seattle