Raising Global Awareness on Digital Inclusion

Connecting the Unconnected

By Angela Siefer, National Digital Inclusion Alliance (USA); John Huigen, Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance; and Amina Fazlullah, Mozilla Fellow 2018

Our most vulnerable neighbors are the least likely to have the Internet access, tech devices and digital skills necessary to be successful. We cannot simply shrug our shoulders about this and go about our business.

In an effort to increase digital equity awareness globally, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance and the Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance are co-organizing International Digital Inclusion Week for October 15–21, 2018. The week will highlight our similarities and challenges, our differences and the need for cohesive strategies. We hope that it will create opportunities for national focus and to promote international engagement and learning.

Most folks agree that access to the Internet, access to digital tools and digital skills are essential today. What this looks like in individual countries varies. Can you be successful with only a mobile phone? What speed is necessary to ensure everyone in the household can complete online tasks?

Let’s break it down:

· Internet access. This is the availability of physical infrastructure that meets the needs of individuals and communities (think speed, data caps, reliability). Sometimes the lack of a universally available physical infrastructure itself is defined as the digital divide. This is a ‘digital divide’ that is one of many.

· Affordability. When the infrastructure is available but low-income residents cannot afford it, we have created a digital divide.

· Devices. Many of us rely heavily on mobile phones but we do not use them exclusively. When some residents do not have access to the appropriate device to conduct a task that requires a tablet or laptop, we have created a digital divide.

· Digital literacy. This, along with devices, is sometimes referred to as “ability”. When some residents have the ability to apply for jobs online, bank online, conduct interactions with government, research health issues and more but others cannot, or don’t because they lack confidence, we have created a digital divide.

International Digital Inclusion Week will build upon the U.S. based Digital Inclusion Week which increases awareness of barriers and strategies to full digital equity. Digital Inclusion Week (DIW) 2018 was May 7–11. Nearly 70 organizations in the United States hosted local events. 593 users tweeted with the hashtag of #digitalinclusion for a reach of 3.5 million. Federal Communications Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Mignon Clyburn both provided videos highlighting the importance of digital inclusion.

International Digital Inclusion Week 2018 builds on this success and goes global because Digital Exclusion is a global issue. Digital is transnational. Tech companies are multinational.

While the ‘what’ of how we build digital equity changes from place to place, country to country, the ‘why’ remains the same: that no person is left behind, that every person needs to — and has the right to — fully participate in our digital world.

The emerging cooperation of national alliances working towards digital inclusion use the same ‘how’: we recognize the efforts of many in our countries need to be harnessed, that we need to join our voices to raise awareness and increase our influence and impact. We need to learn from each other, share our resources. We need to collaborate for impact.

International Digital Inclusion Week 2018 will include increasing awareness through social media and a global video panel of digital inclusion practitioners. The practitioners will participate from their home countries. The Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance will facilitate interaction between the panelists and participants.

The panel will consist of practitioners as these are the individuals tackling digital exclusion on daily basis. They are the people teaching digital literacy classes, guiding home broadband purchases, and refurbishing computers. Most countries, including the U.S. and Australia, do not have a national digital inclusion strategy. This means the solutions are often very local. Neighbors realize a lack of access to the Internet, devices and digital skills are all causing problems in their communities. In the U.S and in Australia, solutions are most often created by community-based organizations, libraries, housing authorities and local governments with a number of national NGOs reaching into particular demographics — for example to seniors, or differently abled people.

The National Digital Inclusion Alliance and the Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance, are coordinating with other national coalitions to ensure a diverse level of participation during International Digital Inclusion Week.

International Digital Inclusion Week 2018 will be a catalyst to build an enduring coalition of national digital inclusion alliances and international efforts to create global momentum towards a fully digitally included world.