Google Fiber Blog

Getting Online in Laundromats in San Antonio

Friday, October 18, 2019

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 13.3px Arial; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Times; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; min-height: 14.0px} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} span.s2 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none; color: #103cc0; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #103cc0} Google Fiber is excited to support Libraries Without Borders’ latest Wash and Learn Initiative (WALI) in San Antonio, along with the San Antonio Public Library and BiblioTech. Today, Lisa Alvarenga, San Antonio Project Coordinator for Libraries Without Borders, shares how WALI works and what her work means to her and the larger community. Trips to the laundromat with mom were a weekly staple of my childhood. I absolutely hated it. We’d spend maybe two hours there but, as any kid knows, two hours can seem like an eternity. I’d enviously watch the more rambunctious kids ride around in the carts, wishing that were me. My mother could see me eyeballing the carts and she’d quickly tell me “Ni se atreve! (Don’t you dare!).” I spent hours getting dizzy as I watched the washers spin round and round, flashes of color blurred together. When I first heard of Libraries Without Borders’ Wash and Learn Initiative (WALI) I thought, “Whoa! That’s such a good idea!.” WALI aims to bridge the digital divide by bringing technology and library programming to laundromats. Some stuff just makes sense. Peanut butter and jelly. Cereal and milk. Laundromats and community resources. WALI meets the community where they are and acts as a facilitator to community resources already available. As the San Antonio Project Coordinator for WALI, I am tasked with the duty of building partnerships and bringing them to the laundromat. I started my new role by conducting interest surveys at the laundromats. What did community members want to see in the laundromat? Did they want to learn about digital literacy? How to improve their health? How to do their taxes? Their answers served as my guide for programming and partners to bring in to the laundromat. I became a regular fixture in the laundromat and the customers started recognizing me. Before I knew it, we were installing the technology into the laundromat — a Chromebook and two tablets for the customers to use while they are waiting for their clothes. In September, we ran on our first programming session, a children’s storytime. It was quiet but caught the attention of customers. And, today, we are officially launching our programming schedule with our anchor partners, Google Fiber, San Antonio Public Library and Bexar County BiblioTech, with more partners to come. The impact of WALI hit me at a literacy programming session just a few days ago. A local librarian read to one of the kids at the laundromat while his brother, curious but shy, hid under a table and listened in. I watched them during story time and thought about how that could have been me. The day before, at our Culebra site, I helped a woman log in to a website that would help her learn English, and couldn’t help but think of my mom. These opportunities are universal. WALI is about giving people what they need in an unexpected but necessary place. Libraries Without Borders means we go where people are, so you’ll find me at the laundromat.

Posted by Lisa Alvarenga, San Antonio Project Coordinator, Libraries Without Borders author: Lisa Alvarenga title: San Antonio Project Coordinator, Libraries Without Borders category: community_impact

How Raleigh Digital Connectors (RDC) Enabled Me To Be A Leader in Raleigh

Friday, October 11, 2019

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Being a leader isn’t reserved for individuals who are already placed in positions of authority, but rather invites individuals who possess determination, initiative, and a proactive mindset to step up and take charge. I have held numerous positions in clubs, organizations, and at work, but I cannot say I was a leader solely due to the title I was given. There are a multitude of initiatives where I was simply just a member, but can recall exact moments where I felt I exemplified what it means to be a leader.
Moving to Raleigh allowed me to participate in Raleigh Digital Connectors, a program for teenagers from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the technology industry. With support from Google Fiber, Digital Connectors offered leadership development aligned with community-based service projects. The program was close to my high school but the drastic difference in neighborhoods showed me the wealth gap that exists in Raleigh. The program’s classes were held in a low socioeconomic area where parents feared to drop off their children. My background coupled with my analytical nature allowed me to construct and present ideas to “bridge the divide” between socioeconomic classes within Raleigh. I was in the program for two years only to be invited back to be an instructor and later on, the speaker for two years in a row at the annual commencement ceremony.
Raleigh Digital Connectors has an annual program called “The Oak City Techathon” which enabled me to become an instructor within my community. Whether it was creating a Facebook account for senior citizens and allowing them to connect with long lost friends or teaching young kids how to assemble basic robots, I was able to spark a newfound interest in a multitude of groups scattered across the city of Raleigh. I knew these people would learn and then be inspired to teach what they learn to their peers.
I want to work toward eliminating the wealth gap and bring communities together so everyone has access to resources that are only available in the affluent areas. I think a step toward equity between these communities is to promote programs such as Raleigh Digital Connectors. I feel it is my experiences that enable me to be a global leader. Being a leader doesn’t mean just sitting back and delegating tasks, but involves hands-on experience and the ambition to want to better your community, whether it be local or global. I learned that even when you feel insignificant, everybody has to start somewhere.
Posted by Habib Khadri, UNC-Chapel Hill student and Raleigh Digital Connectors alum

~~~
author: Habib Khadri title: UNC-Chapel Hill sophomore and Raleigh Digital Connectors alum category: community_impact

Youth, Mobile Portraits and Community Narratives

Thursday, October 10, 2019

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Our Digital Inclusion Week guest blog series continues with Anthony Rea of the Mattie Rhodes Center, which has been serving the community in Kansas City for 125 years.

I should preface that this story is really about digital inclusion, but I just wanted to give a little context to the how and why we do what we do with young people and the leadership they offer us when we give them space to learn and question.
I used to instruct digital photography in the Pilsen community of Chicago between 2009 and 2013. It was a community going through drastic changes with gentrification and new developments transforming the landscape of the neighborhood. My group of young people tasked ourselves with the job of documenting the people and spaces that made up their community – actively responding to their transforming environment and personal histories. It was an exciting time for all of us – the work was beautiful but more importantly, it communicated something important, and our young people were the ones leading that communication through their art-making.
Fast forward to a little over a year ago -- I’m in Kansas City’s historic Northeast community working with Mattie Rhodes Center watching our after school instructors work on a stop-motion animation with students using the instructors' phones and makeshift tripods. I’m sitting there thinking how these young people needed the right tools – how we needed a photo/video program. So I start to draft up a program (and a budget) that would put tablets in the hands of our young people, we would produce imagery and audio projects that told their stories and stories of their community – they would respond to the issues that impacted them the most, so ultimately these amazing young people could build skills around social media, representation, communication, and image-making. After personally shopping the proposal around to a few funders my boss said there was a Google Fiber representative that wanted to know what plans we had regarding technology and digital inclusion. I handed her my proposal, and we were off!
Now, fast-forward several months and our Digital Media Lab, sponsored by Google FIber, has been working with students at our Northeast Mattie Rhodes Center location since Spring 2019. Students have explored self-portraiture and representation explicating who they are and where they hope to be in life. More importantly, they have been learning to use this tablet – this iPad as an actual place of artistic production. Expanding on the consuming function that many of us might consider, our youth are learning more about this device, the various available apps that they can access to create and share their creative and visual ideas, and how to responsibly share through social media.
We have also started to engage community members through a Community Photo Booth that we created. Our setup is a simple one, with iPads and tripods. Many of our students talked about their families not having “professional” family portraits. That discussion quickly took us into saying, “Why can’t we be our own professionals?” So we looked at portraiture and imagery that we appreciated and held our first public event last May. The photo booth created an opportunity for our students to be the “professional” photographers in the neighborhood for their families and community. They manage the process, have forms and use Flickr as a way to share the photos with our participants.
We are now building the photo booth idea into our Digital Media Lab so that more students can go through the steps and will eventually build videography skills. The goal is to transform our students into a mobile portrait and video team taking family portraits in the area and collecting narratives from our Northeast Kansas City residents.
By providing space to learn how to use the tools, our students have the opportunity to do something really exciting with technology. They are moving beyond just being passive consumers of imagery but actual producers of it -- taking control of not just their imagery and representation, but even how their immediate friends and family and ultimately their community is seen. Digital inclusion isn’t just about the technology, it’s about the connection, and that’s what these kids are doing every day.
Posted by Anthony Marcos Rea, Youth Development Coordinator, Digital Media Lab at the Mattie Rhodes Center.

Top photo caption: clockwise from upper left corner 1. Hailie Freeman, Lincoln Middle School; 2. Perla Ramos, Frontier Middle School; 3. Emma Courtice, Lincoln Middle School; 4. Diego Montes, Frontier Middle School; 5. Darianna Marquez, Lincoln College Prep HS; 6. Dominic Ramos, Frontier Middle School. From "Selfies & the Portrait," Spring 2019 and "Layering the Self Portrait using PhotoshopMix," Fall 2019. ~~~
author: Anthony Marcos Rea title: Youth Development Coordinator, Digital Media Lab at the Mattie Rhodes Center category: community_impact

Helping Austinites Get Connected

Wednesday, October 09, 2019

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In celebration of Digital Inclusion Week, we’re featuring posts from our incredible partners across the country who are working to broaden Internet access and build digital literacy in our Google Fiber Cities. Today’s blog comes from Community Tech Network’s Director of Programs, Jessica Looney, in Austin, Texas.

The Internet is essential to so many aspects of our lives today and it is critical that everyone, regardless of income, education level or age, has the access and the digital skills they need. Yet today, many people still do not have access to digital tools like the Internet, computers, or the skills to utilize them. Even in a tech-forward city like Austin, Texas, there are roughly 55,000 households without a broadband internet connection.
This is why the Community Tech Network (CTN) and Google Fiber partner to bridge that divide here in Austin. CTN’s mission is to transform lives through digital literacy and has over 11 years of experience helping people cross the digital divide.
Having been a presence in Austin for over two years now, CTN is pleased to be a part of Austin’s vibrant digital community and excited to work with partners such as Google Fiber, City of Austin and Austin Independent School District (AISD). CTN recently collaborated with the City’s Innovation Team to develop a Digital Device Drop-in program for People Experiencing Homelessness (PEH). Each week CTN volunteers attend a shift at the Terrazas branch of the Austin Public Library and provide drop-in help to anyone with questions about their device, Smartphones, using email, social media, and more.
CTN also works with AISD to meet the needs of low-income parents seeking digital literacy training on specific AISD digital platforms. With the support of Google Fiber, and in partnership with another local non-profit, Latinitas, the Digital Parents Program will provide basic digital skills, in both English and Spanish, to parents to help them participate in their child’s education and communicate more effectively with the teachers and school. CTN plans to serve 25-30 parents at Martin Junior High School as part of a pilot. If successful, CTN hopes to engage parents in four additional schools to reach hundreds of families.
To celebrate this year’s Digital Inclusion Week, CTN is hosting Tech Teach-In (TTI) events focused on providing digital skills training to adults and seniors. One of these events will connect Google Fiber volunteers to residents at Wildflower Terrace, a Family Eldercare senior housing community. Tech Teach-Ins are half day events that engage corporate volunteers who deliver digital skills training. Volunteers help job seekers apply for employment, parents reach their children’s teachers, older adults research healthcare information and low-income residents access social services. Over the last year, CTN has conducted six TTI events serving over 100 low-income senior residents in the Austin area.
We’re very proud to continue to partner with Google Fiber as CTN continues the ongoing mission to unite organizations and volunteers to transform lives through digital literacy. If you are interested in becoming a partner, contact Kami Griffiths, Executive Director/Co-founder at kami@communitytechnetwork.org. If you are interested in volunteering with CTN, please email volunteer@communitytechnetwork.org.
Posted by Jessica Looney, Director of Programs, Community Tech Network, Austin, TX

Communities Working Together to Advance Digital Equity

Tuesday, October 08, 2019

Our Digital Inclusion Week series kicks off with Shauna Edson of the Salt Lake City Public Library. Shauna is a former Google Fiber-sponsored NTEN Digital Inclusion Fellow. She now serves as the Library’s Digital Inclusion Coordinator and is a Fellow with the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA).

I first became aware of digital inclusion work when I was working on my undergraduate classes at the University of Utah. I didn’t have an internet connection in my apartment or a smartphone, and I quickly learned how much that complicated my education. To turn in assignments, access readings, and do everything else students need to do online I had to go to a public computer lab. I was also a single parent at the time, and that meant I either had to pay for childcare or bring my tweens with me to the computer lab, pay for parking, and try to fit going to the lab in between my classes and the three part-time jobs I was juggling. I don’t know if you have any experience studying while trying to keep your kids entertained in a public space, but it didn’t work out well for me.
Once I became aware of how digital inequities were impacting my own life, I began to notice the effect it had on others as well. Everyday tasks are moving to digital spaces, and having access to broadband, innovative technologies, and the knowledge to know how to use it in a meaningful way is essential to fully participating in society. Today, the Internet is used for so much of our daily lives: online banking and managing finances; accessing health records and remote doctor visits; gaining employment, workforce development, and economic growth; education; entertainment; socializing with family and friends; and more.
Digital equity is when everyone can easily access and use technologies to communicate, learn, work, and play. All individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, civic engagement, economy, and access to essential services. Digital inclusion is the work we need to do to achieve digital equity, and it must evolve as technology advances. Digital equity impacts all of those in communities, and it takes a whole community working together to address digital divides. Google Fiber is an active partner in this work in Utah.
In January of 2018, Utah Communities Connect: Utah’s Digital Alliance held their first meeting. It started when Salt Lake City was selected as a ConnectHomeUSA community in 2017, and several organizations worked together on a kick-off event. The event garnered interest in digital inclusion in Utah and local governments, libraries, housing authorities, academics, nonprofit organizations, and private industry stakeholders, including Google Fiber, formed the alliance.
Almost two years later, we are happy to host the inaugural Utah Digital Summit as part of NDIA’s Digital Inclusion Week and with Google Fiber as a supporter. Utah Digital Summit is a collaboration between Utah Communities Connect and the Utah Broadband Association as part of the ongoing effort to bring community partners together to raise awareness and build the "digital equity movement" in Utah. Digital equity is a long term effort that will take continued collaboration by a broad cross-section of stakeholders. This week's summit is a great step forward on that journey.

Posted by Shauna Edson, Digital Inclusion Coordinator, Salt Lake City Public Library.

Taking action for Digital Equity in 2019

Monday, October 07, 2019

Today marks the beginning of Digital Inclusion Week -- a week where Google Fiber joins a collective effort to highlight organizations providing computer training, affordable devices and Internet access to people on the wrong side of the digital divide. In 2019, getting a job, an educational degree, or even the latest bus schedule can depend on your access to the Internet and how good you are at navigating the online world once you are there. The division between the digital “haves” and “have nots” will only grow wider without the intervention of organizations dedicated to building residents’ digital skills and access. Google Fiber partners closely with digital inclusion organizations nationally and in each of the cities where we operate. In fact, we couldn’t do our jobs without them. It’s why we support national programs like NTEN’s Digital Inclusion Fellowship -- a program Google Fiber co-founded in 2015 and that is now in its fifth cohort -- and resources like the National Digital Inclusion Alliance’s Digital Inclusion Start-Up Manual. It’s also why we have signed on as a supporter of the the Digital Equity Act of 2019. In the U.S., digital inclusion programs have traditionally been developed locally and funded locally. The Digital Equity Act aims to change that by authorizing over $1 billion in federal funding over five years to support state and local plans and programs. We believe this bill will generate a much needed set of state strategies and a more stable source of funding to support the organizations providing training to residents in cities across the U.S. You can help! Write to your Senator and Congressperson and tell them to vote to support the Digital Equity Act. And check back here on the Google Fiber blog every day this week to meet some of the dedicated people and digital inclusion groups we’re working with across the country to hear firsthand about what’s happening in their communities. We are privileged to work alongside them, and to help in their important work. Posted by John Burchett, Director, Communications, Policy, & Community Affairs, and Parisa Fatehi - Weeks, Head of Equity, Inclusion & Community Impact

~~~ author.name: Parisa Fatehi-Weeks and John Burchett
author.title: Head of Equity, Inclusion & Community Impact and Director of Communications, Policy, & Community Affairs
category: community_impact

Using your digital superpowers for good

Friday, August 16, 2019

It’s National Nonprofit Day! To mark the occasion, we’re excited to have a post from Jeff Hilimire, founder of 48in48, one of our nonprofit partners dedicated to helping other nonprofits make the most of their online presence. Jeff is also CEO of Atlanta-based Dragon Army.

“How do I find a way for my team members to use their skills in digital marketing to help nonprofits in Atlanta?”
That was the question I kept asking myself as my first digital agency, Spunlogic, grew to almost 100 employees in the mid-2000s. In those days, we would volunteer every quarter at local nonprofits like soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and food drives — but we weren’t giving back with our greatest strengths, our digital skills, which allowed us to help our paying clients build brands and connect with their customers.
I wrestled with this question for almost a decade, understanding that in today’s landscape the ability for a nonprofit to connect with donors, volunteers, and team members through digital channels would be paramount to their success.
Then it hit me:“What if I put on a hackathon that brought together 150 volunteers to build as many nonprofit websites as possible in a single weekend?”
The idea for 48in48 was born. In 2015, I asked my good friend, Adam Walker, to co-found this new organization with me and we hosted our first event later that year in Atlanta. The idea was to build 48 new websites in 48 hours, pairing great digital talent with nonprofits doing essential work in our communities. That event was so well received that we decided to host a spring event in New York, followed by our second Atlanta event later in the fall of 2016. When both of those events went exceptionally well, we knew we were on to something.
In 2017, we hosted events in Atlanta, New York, Boston, and Minneapolis. And then in 2018, we put on events in six cities: Atlanta, New York, Boston, Chapel Hill (NC), Bloomington (IL), and our first international event in London!
Today, we’ve organized 14 events, helped more than 650 nonprofits, and registered 2,000+ volunteers — and we’re just getting started!
We haven’t done this alone. Google Fiber has been a sponsor since our first year, and we’ve worked with them in a number of capacities. From serving on our board to bringing their talents to help our nonprofit clients optimize their online presence, our relationship with Google Fiber has allowed us to increase our impact. We’ve used key partnerships like this with other brands too, like Delta Air Lines and State Farm, to help us continue to scale. Without their support, we wouldn’t have been able to dream so big.
"We had a record number of users come to our application this year, which we credit to the ease of access and information on our website. Our online presence finally matches who we are as an organization – forward thinking, efficient, sharp, and in constant pursuit of excellence. This shift moves us onto a new level for how we talk to the public, and our donors love it! We owe so much of that to the team at 48in48 for giving us an incredible website template,” said Jeannette Rankin, founder of the Women’s Scholarship Fund.
Our goal is to create a service opportunity where 10,000 marketing and technology volunteers can donate their skills for good on an annual basis. We’d love your help in this mission! Find out how you can get involved today at 48in48.org.

At an Atlanta 48in48 hackathon, volunteers work with nonprofit leaders to develop the right digital approach.

Posted by Guest Blogger Jeff Hilimire, founder, 48in48, and CEO of Dragon Army . ~~~

author.name: Jeff Hilimire
author.title: Founder, 48in48, and CEO, Dragon Army
category: community_impact

Bringing Webpass to Austin

Tuesday, August 06, 2019

When Webpass joined Google Fiber in 2016, we were excited about Webpass’s strong record of execution and growth in providing super fast, reliable Internet to residents and small businesses in densely populated areas. We knew their point-to-point wireless approach -- which provides internet speeds up to 1 gig without the need for significant construction work -- would add a powerful tool to our deployment toolkit and allow us to deliver speedy Internet to condos and apartment buildings faster than we ever could before.
Since Webpass became part of the Google Fiber family, the Webpass team has continued to build on its success, expanding service to Seattle and Denver over the past two years and continuing to grow in existing Webpass cities. Webpass now serves tens of thousands of residents and small businesses across thousands of buildings.
At the same time Webpass has been expanding its footprint and making it even easier for customers to get online, Google Fiber has been working to figure out how to bring Internet to customers more quickly in their cities while reducing disruption. While Webpass and Google Fiber are sister companies, our work has been separate without combining our efforts or product offerings.
Until today.
Google Fiber and Webpass are proud to announce Google Fiber Webpass, launching today in Austin:

This is the first time we’re bringing the best of both Google Fiber and Webpass together in the same city, and we’re excited to have another way to deliver super fast, reliable Internet to even more customers in Austin. We’re starting downtown and are adding new buildings to our network as quickly as possible. To help us bring Google Fiber Webpass gig service to your apartment or condo building, check out webpass.net/austin.Ready to get online right now? You can find out if service is available in your building and sign up on the Google Fiber website. We’re excited to bring Google Fiber and Webpass together in Austin and are looking forward to connecting you!
Posted by Brien Bell, Head of Webpass
~~~
author.name: Brien Bellauthor.title: Head of Webpasscategory: city_news

Growing the Digital Inclusion Ecosystem

Thursday, May 02, 2019

Earlier this month, my teammates and I attended the 2019 Net Inclusion conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. As the Government and Community Affairs team (formerly known as the “Community Impact Team”) for Google Fiber, we are responsible for building and investing in partnerships that help narrow the digital divide across the Google Fiber footprint.
The gathering, organized by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), provided a valuable opportunity to listen and learn from digital inclusion leaders on the front lines of improving their respective communities. We also had the chance to see the progress of the broader digital inclusion movement -- a movement that is bigger than any one program, strategy or organization.
As a Google Fiber city and home to several leading digital inclusion organizations, the City of Charlotte offered many learning opportunities for those interested in starting, improving or expanding digital inclusion programming for residents. Many of these learnings are captured in the recently published Digital Inclusion Start-Up Manual, which was authored by NDIA and sponsored by Google Fiber. The manual includes recommendations for developing a community digital inclusion program, among other resources.
Throughout the conference, dozens of digital inclusion leaders took part in lightning round sessions featuring innovative programs from across the country. From leveraging technology to expand educational opportunities across the world to the development of low cost digital literacy evaluation tools, our team was inspired by these innovative approaches from community-based practitioners. In fact, it was during the lightning rounds of last year’s conference that we first discovered Libraries Without Borders’ Wash and Learn Initiative. Since then, we have kicked off a partnership with Libraries Without Borders to pilot their program in San Antonio.
We were also excited to see the announcement of the 2019 Charles Benton Digital Equity Champions. Honorees included Casey Sorensen, CEO of Minnesota-based PCs for People, and Munirih Jester, Digital Inclusion Program Manager for the San Antonio Housing Authority. Munirih began her role as one of the very first NTEN Digital Inclusion Fellows, a program Google Fiber co-founded with NTEN in 2015 and that is now in its fifth cohort. These champions manage programs aimed at reducing the digital divide within their respective communities.
Many thanks to the NDIA team for organizing another successful event, the Charlotte Google Fiber team for hosting a fun-filled reception, and local digital inclusion leaders for opening your doors to Net Inclusion visitors.
We know the digital divide remains a persistent challenge — and that none of us can solve it alone. Google Fiber has learned a lot about digital inclusion each year since our launch in 2012; and the conference made clear that the digital inclusion ecosystem continues to grow and get stronger. We continue to learn from leaders across the country working hard to get more of their neighbors connected, and we look forward to chipping away at the divide right alongside them.

Munirih Jester, Digital Inclusion Program Manager at the San Antonio Housing Authority, receives the 2019Charles Benton Digital Equity Champion award from Adrianne Furniss, Executive Director of the Benton Foundation

Posted by Clarissa Ramon, Government and Community Affairs Manager, San Antonio~~~~author.name: Clarissa Ramon author.title: San Antonio Government and Community Affairs Managercategory: community_impactimagealign: top

Saying Goodbye to Louisville

Thursday, February 07, 2019

Hey there’sour other Fiber citieswe noted at the timeencountered challengesour micro trenching methodsmany other reasons

Official Blog

Getting Online in Laundromats in San Antonio

How Raleigh Digital Connectors (RDC) Enabled Me To Be A Leader in Raleigh

Youth, Mobile Portraits and Community Narratives

Helping Austinites Get Connected

Communities Working Together to Advance Digital Equity

Taking action for Digital Equity in 2019

Using your digital superpowers for good

Bringing Webpass to Austin

Growing the Digital Inclusion Ecosystem

Saying Goodbye to Louisville

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