Digital Expansion Initiative
Written by Administrator Tuesday, 17 February 2009 18:08
The Digital Expansion Initiative promotes meaningful Internet access for New Yorkers through research, education, and organizing.
Population Served: Low-wage workers in New York City and their peers who have been marginalized from the Internet and Internet policy; high school and college youth.
Activities: Founded in 2007, DEI uses participant-led research, media production, public education, and community organizing to expand meaningful Internet access to all New Yorkers. DEI members are interviewing people in their community who have limited access to the Internet while working with high school students to investigate existing infrastructure and policies in New York City. In addition to defining the problem, the research doubles as base-building for a forthcoming community organizing campaign to erase the digital divides in our community
Partnerships: DEI partners with 5-7 social change organizations, 3 research institutions, and one high school
Outcomes: Only a few months into the project, DEI has already launched a phone survey of the entire city that will yield the most extensive data on Internet usage in New York City yet compiled. We have completed the initial trainings for our community researchers, who are nearly done with the first round of 20 interviews. And we are refning our innovative suite of presentation and popular education tools to demystify key issues of Internet policy and technology. DEI staff have also delivered expert testimony to the New York State Assembly, City Council, and the FCC, and have been quoted or published in multiple local media outlets.