Friends,
Technology affects us all—from residents to businesses to
community institutions. It has the potential to transform lives, solve problems,
and connect communities. Access to the Internet has changed the way we
communicate, work, learn, and get our news and information. These advances have
improved the quality of life for most of us, but not for everyone.
And that’s why we go to work each day.
At Connect.DC, we understand that everything is affected
by technology, but we also know that many people still don’t have the access or
skills to take full advantage of everything modern technology has to offer.
Together with our partners, we are working to do something about that. We’re
providing indoor and outdoor free Wi-Fi hotspots and computer access in
libraries and recreation centers, training District residents and small
businesses to use technology, and working with service providers to ensure both
groups have affordable options once they finish their training. We’re also
reaching out to people like you to see how we might collaborate to reach the
underserved.
Our efforts at Connect.DC are making a difference, and we
welcome your suggestions for ways that we can better serve our community.
Your Connect.DC team
In December, OCTO announced a new initiative connecting
District-based small businesses with basic digital literacy education through a
subgrant to the Latino
Economic Development Center (LEDC). LEDC’s Small Business Success Project is
helping entrepreneurs get comfortable with technology tools and giving
them the opportunity to advance their business goals and remain competitive in
the digital economy. Participants are eligible to receive hardware, software,
and Internet connectivity through the trainings. Since December, LEDC has
trained more than 60 micro and small businesses.
For a full list of LEDC’s upcoming workshops, click
here.
We are excited to announce our Spring 2013 Community
Broadband Summit will be held on Saturday, May 18, 2013! As in the past,
we will collaborate with community partners and technology advocates to explore
the power of broadband technology in the District and to build tech capacity in
DC residents, small businesses, and community institutions. Please contact us to
be part of this unique community event. More
details to come!
See video
and pictures
from our Fall 2012 Community Broadband Summit, held in conjunction with DCWEEK
2012.
Your Connect.DC team was on the move this past winter,
supporting local events and collaborating with technology groups to advance the
cause. Acting Program Director Delano Squires presented at the Ward 8 Tech
Council meeting on February 5th, where he described Connect.DC’s digital
inclusion efforts and gained insight on the specific tech needs of Ward 8
residents. On February 12th, Connect.DC and OCTO subgrantee Latino Economic
Development Center (LEDC) participated in an event with Google.
We picked up a few pointers from a handful of Social
Media Week events, engaged with panelists during a very enlightening Broadband
Summit hosted by The Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Services
with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in
early February, made new friends at the first Black
Girls Code Meet and Greet in the District, and caught up with old friends at
a town hall meeting for the DC
Promise Neighborhood Initiative (DCPNI).
If you would like to partner with us on your next outreach
event, please contact
us.
When the Dorothy I. Height Community Academy Public
Charter Schools (CAPCS) began receiving broadband services from DC-Net in
September, 2012, they were looking to better use technology to fulfill their
mission of helping elementary and middle school students develop in all aspects
of learning—from critical thinking to mathematical reasoning and scientific
inquiry. Read
more
OCTO’s DC
Broadband Mapping Application allows users to identify broadband
availability and performance throughout the District. The map includes the
ability to view by technology type, download/upload speeds and the number of
providers within a given location. For information on other mapping efforts in
the District, click
here.
In January, we asked our Facebook fans this question:
if you HAD to choose one device/platform to access the Internet, which would
you choose? Our fans were split evenly between laptop and tablet.
No one chose desktop!
For up-to-the-minute news and engagement with our team,
‘like’ us on Facebook.
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