Through the TOP and CTC programs the federal government is playing an important role by providing communities with seed money which in turn is matched by additional public and private investment.
In Texas for example, TOP and CTC funding provides over $13 million in federal support for digital opportunity, which has attracted an additional $16.5 million in investment, for a total of $30 million in funding18. Similarly in Mississippi, nearly $3.4 million in funding for TOP and CTC was able to attract an additional $4.8 million for a total of $8.2 million.
The following provides an overview of the TOP and CTC programs. This analysis is followed by a chart providing a state-by-state analysis of federal and matching support generated through the TOP and CTC programs, and a set of profiles of over 40 TOP and CTC projects from all across the country. Together these examples demonstrate the effectiveness of these two programs and the impact that federal leadership is having in local communities all over the country.
Technology Opportunities Program
In 1994, the US Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) initiated the Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program, now known as the Technology Opportunities Program. TOP provides matching grants to a wide range of nonprofit organizations-schools, libraries, hospitals, public safety entities, and state and local governments-to make use of innovative telecommunications and information technologies and promote the widespread availability and use of digital network technologies in the public and non-profit sectors. A primary purpose of the program is to bring these technologies and their benefits to inner city and rural underserved areas, and to others that have difficulty accessing the information infrastructure. To date, TOP has awarded 530 grants, in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and the US Virgin Islands, totaling $192.5 million and leveraging $268 million in local matching funds.
TOP is a highly competitive, merit-based grant program that promotes public-private partnerships and technological innovation in an effort to strengthen civic organizations and support undeserved communities. TOP grants have played an important role in realizing the vision of an information society by demonstrating practical applications of new telecommunications and information technologies to serve the public good. Grantees have demonstrated innovative uses of network technologies for lifelong learning; public safety; public healthcare; and communications, resource-sharing, and economic development in rural and urban communities. A number of TOP grantees have received national and international awards19 for their creative and productive approaches to using the tools of information technology to address critical community problems.
Sustainability and community involvement are proving to be important TOP program outcomes. According to a study by Johnson & Johnson Associates Inc. (JJA),20 88% of grantees surveyed reported sustainability. Factors sited for project growth and expansion included additional funding and private sector support, as well as staff and partner commitment and collaboration. TOP grants also encourage community partnerships; grantees surveyed report partnering with an average of 18 other organizations to achieve project goals. Support provided by partners includes financial support, loans, donations and discounts.
TOP grants are making major contributions in a number of areas:
Rural Healthcare:
Expanding the availability of home health services lowers cost and increases access.
The Regional Medical Center at Lubec (RMCL) with TOP funding was able to install the Northeast Maine Telemedicine Network (NMTN) that allows nurses to make electronic home visits with patients who would otherwise need to be hospitalized. Joyce Frost of Calais, Maine, who suffers from both diabetes and first stage Alzheimer's disease is able to live on her own utilizing NMTN's videoconferencing unit connected to her regular phone line. The unit provides daily meetings with a nurse who checks in to see how Ms. Frost is doing, whether she has taken her medication and simply to provide her with reassurance.
Telemedicine provides underserved and remote populations with access to specialty specialty services.
The University of Virginia's Telemedicine Program has been able to provide more than 4,500 patients with access to specialized medical care, clinical services and health-related educational programming. To date, the University's telemedicine center has been able to provide professional consultation in 24 different specialties to underserved populations in remote regions throughout the state.
Community Development:
Information technology is helping to build community by creating virtual connections.
The Yukon Flats is an economically depressed and isolated region located deep within the interior of Alaska. Its 2500 residents are scattered across 11 villages in a 55,000 square mile area. To address the need for communication, the Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments (CATG) established a Wide Area Network with support from the TOP program to provide voice and data communication to each of the villages via satellite. The network connects local administrators and residents to CATG's partner agencies including the State of Alaska, Mental Health Services, and the University of Alaska to enable distance learning and training for better tribal management.
Funding for access to high-speed Internet connections is serving as a catalyst for economic development.
In the two decades preceding the creation of Dakota Interconnect, northeast South Dakota was experiencing a significant decline in its population largely related to the decrease in farm income and agricultural mechanization. With support from a TOP grant, the Dakota Interconnect project has transformed northeast South Dakota from an unconnected, rural and sparsely populated area into a technologically advanced region. The Dakota Interconnect project tied three previously separate networks together, creating an infrastructure of linked networks, all of which are compatible with audio, video and data connections. Dakota Interconnect created a reason for companies to establish in the northeastern part of the state, which in turn created more jobs for its residents.
Education:
TOP funding is providing people with disabilities access to technology and vocational training.
The North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities (NDCPD) at Minot State University in 1998 established the Internet Access for Persons with Mental Retardation Project (IAPMR). IAPMR created and continues to maintain a local area network (LAN) that provides people with mental retardation access to the Internet. Not only are they able to use the Internet for recreational and social activities, program participants with moderate to severe mental retardation use IAPMR-generated software to earn up to $15.00/hr at Internet-based jobs. NDCPD continues to make this software available at-cost to businesses and agencies hiring workers with mental retardation. One replication site operated by the Black Hills Special Services Cooperative (BHSSC) employs about 15 people with moderate and severe mental retardation. This project has made it possible for people with mental retardation who have never worked and never had money of their own to achieve the goals of employment and earned income.
Database and Information Management:
By automating information, public agencies are able for the first time to pool information and operate at greater levels of efficiency and effectiveness.
Baltimore currently ranks among the top two cities nationally for incidences of chlamydia, primary and secondary syphilis and gonorrhea and the Baltimore City Health Department clinics handle 30,000 patients annually. With support from TOP, the Multidisciplinary Information Sharing Network (MISN) will use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping to track and map STD, HIV/AIDS and TB incidences in the city of Baltimore. The MISN will consolidate data from law enforcement agencies, the Department of Corrections and the City health department in order to eliminate duplicative testing and to enable data sharing between agencies. Once the existing antiquated databases are replaced, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health will overlay information on crime and housing over disease patterns to give agencies the ability to look at possible correlations. This analysis will also help public health officials in other cities nationwide combat the spread of infectious diseases.
Through a variety of information technology strategies, the TOP program is making a difference by building the technology capacity of community serving institutions, providing new strategies for service delivery and data management and expanding the reach of programs to new populations. In turn, these institutions are employing technology to enhance educational and employment opportunities, increase community development, provide better access to healthcare services and ensure public safety.
Community Technology Centers Program
In 1999, the Department of Education established the Community Technology Centers (CTC) program to promote the development of model programs that demonstrate the educational effectiveness of technology in urban and rural areas and economically distressed communities. One-year CTC grants of $75,000-$300,000 with additional matching funds help state and local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and other public organizations provide access to computers and other forms of information technology as well as related learning services to children and adults in an educational setting. In general, people who visit CTCs do not own computers, and many do not have access at work or school.
CTCs offer a range of opportunities to use computers and other technologies in classes as well as in self-directed activities. Many individuals acquire or improve English language skills, get tutoring and homework help, or participate in GED and other adult education programs. CTC visitors also use computers to get information from the Internet, send and receive e-mail, set up Web pages, and carry out their own self-directed projects. CTCs are also a valuable resource for obtaining job skills and learning about employment opportunities. Examples of the impact of CTC-supported projects include:
Job Training and Placement:
With the support of a 2001 CTC grant, the AdEdge Community Technology Center in El Paso, Texas will work to improve the quality of life for its residents. Located within El Paso's Empowerment Zone Area, the population AdEdge serves is predominantly Hispanic, and has one of the lowest per capita incomes in the nation. Only 35% of its population has a high school diploma. AdEdge provides opportunities for residents to receive a GED, learn to speak English, discover computer technology, and/or obtain computer technology certification with AdEdge's partner, Cisco Networking Academy.
Community Based Partnerships:
Mott Community College, in partnership with the Great Lakes Baptist District Center, Disability Network, and Hispanic Community Center, operates three CTCs in Michigan that expose the local community to technology via channels they trust-grassroots community organizations. Using assistive technologies as such as a hands-free input system, adaptive keyboards and screen reading software, the Disability Network's CTC prepares people with disabilities to live independently and be competitive in the workforce.
Integrating Technology into Community Service Organizations:
Literacy Volunteers of Maricopa County, Arizona, has integrated technology into basic literacy and ESL classes. Hugo Carrazco, a 38-year old construction worker, decided to take an ESL class at LVMC when his 11-year old daughter brought home a LVMC flyer from school. Seven weeks into the class, Mr. Carrazco, says, "It's a good class because I'm learning computers and English at the same time." The center's success is highlighted by Mr. Carrazco's use of his home computer to help his children with their schoolwork.
Providing 21st Century Literacy Skills:
Beatbox, a program sponsored by Fairfield Youth Advocacy in Fairfield, Iowa, provides classes in basic web design and digital film production. Additionally, young people are given the opportunity to participate in the Cisco Certified Network Professional Program and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSC) certifications. Prior to receiving support from the CTC program, Beatbox was a youth recreational center. Its new technology program, the "Btech," paid for by a CTC grant and in-kind contributions from the community, now provides a space where youth between the ages 9 and 23 can socialize, engage in creative activities, and enhance their education through technology.
Community technology programs play an important role in enhancing the work of community serving organizations and are helping to bring the tools of the information age to underserved populations.
Conclusion
TOP and CTC are important engines of digital opportunity. They are emblematic of the importance of federal leadership in the effort to bridge the digital divide. Federal leadership brings the power of information to underserved communities. A federal retreat from that leadership role would undermine innovative efforts to bring digital opportunity to underserved communities and jeopardize many successful community programs. Rather than walking away from the investment, the federal government should build upon the success of these programs to bring digital opportunity to the entire nation.
