Welcome back to another episode of the B4DE Podcast! This time, Chris sits down for a chat with Abraham Camez, the passionate digital navigator for Hoopa Valley's Acorn Wireless ISP.

Abe paints a vivid picture of the looming consequences as the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) draws to a close, affecting not just the reservation but also nearby areas. About 40% of Acorn Wireless's customers, including roughly 80 folks aided by Abe himself, face the harsh reality of losing their internet lifeline.

But amidst the uncertainty, there are stories of hope. Abe shares a touching tale of a Hoopa Tribal member who turned their passion for jewelry into a successful online business, thanks to the ACP's helping hand.

As they discuss the challenges ahead, there's a resilient optimism in the air. Abe applauds the efforts of others in tackling digital equity issues head-on, showing that even in the face of adversity, there's room for progress and positivity.

This show is 11 minutes long and can be played on this page or using the podcast app of your choice with this feed.

Transcript below. 

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes here or see other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance here.

Thanks to Joseph McDade for the music. The song is On the Verge and is used per his Free-Use terms.

This week, on another special edition of the podcast, we feature the latest episode of our biweekly podcast, the Building for Digital Equity Podcast, where Chris speaks with Dr. Shaun Glaze, Research Director, and Chris Webb, Digital Equity Lead, from the Black Brilliance Research Project based in Seattle, Washington.

They delve into the project's roots in response to George Floyd's tragedy in 2020. Dr. Glaze sheds light on their unique research approach, which merges traditional methods with community activism, driving toward solutions tailored by and for the community.

The B4DE podcast features short interviews with digital inclusion practitioners from across the nation, focusing on frontline work to expand Internet access, address affordability, and help provide the digital skills and devices necessary to fully participate in a digital world.

With our Building for Digital Equity podcast series returning, you can visit our B4DE podcast page for this and future episodes here.

This show is 26 minutes long and can be played on this page or via Apple Podcasts or the tool of your choice using this feed.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes or view all episodes in our index. See other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.

This episode of the Building for Digital Equity Podcast features Dr. Shaun Glaze, Research Director, and Chris Webb, Digital Equity Lead, from the Black Brilliance Research Project based in Seattle, Washington.

They both delve into the project's roots in response to George Floyd's tragedy in 2020. Dr. Glaze sheds light on their unique research approach, which merges traditional methods with community activism, driving toward solutions tailored by and for the community.

Throughout their conversation, the essence of digital equity's impact on real lives resonates deeply. They emphasize not just the necessity of connectivity but also the power it holds in uplifting marginalized communities. Hope and progress shine through as they discuss the strides made in empowering individuals and fostering a more just digital landscape.

This show is 24 minutes long and can be played on this page or using the podcast app of your choice with this feed.

Transcript below. 

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes here or see other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance here.

Thanks to Joseph McDade for the music. The song is On the Verge and is used per his Free-Use terms.

Our Building for Digital Equity podcast series is back.

The first episode of 2024 features an insightful conversation with Pierrette Renée Dagg, Director of Research for the MERIT Network in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Pierrette discusses the importance of using research to inform community engagement and digital equity strategies, as well as the use of community-facing research methods like surveys and qualitative/quantitative analysis. She also highlights the importance of considering broader systemic issues that should be taken into account when forming digital equity strategies.

This show is 10 minutes long and can be played on this page or using the podcast app of your choice with this feed.

Transcript below. 

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes here or see other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance here.

Thanks to Joseph McDade for the music. The song is On the Verge and is used per his Free-Use terms.

Episode 591 of the Community Broadband Bits Podcast features a panel from Net Inclusion that Christopher Mitchell moderated entitled, "Without Political Power, There is No Path to Digital Equity." In it, panelists raise difficult questions for the digital equity movement about whether they are on track to achieve their goals - whether the main strategies used today can result in digital equity or are destined to fall well short.

Panelists include Melanie Silva, COO of Hinton & Company in Chattanooga; Shayna Englin, Director of the Digital Equity Initiative at the California Community Foundation; Joshua Edmonds, CEO of Digital C in Cleveland; and Dan Ryan, Vice-Chair of the Enterprise Center in Chattanooga.

The discussion includes constructive criticism of the movement for digital equity, as well as more specific criticism of the decision to move the Net Inclusion conference from Chattanooga to Philadelphia. That decision was entangled with - and justified by - the concerns of some regarding safety in the wake of attempts in the Tennessee Legislature to revoke the rights of Transgender individuals, among others. The panel felt it was important not to ignore those issues as we wrangled with the larger issue of building a better society with more rights and opportunities for everyone.

We hope you find this discussion useful and respectful of the larger movement despite disagreements on some important issues.

This show is 93 minutes long and can be played on this page or using the podcast app of your choice with this feed.

Transcript below.

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show: please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes here or see other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance here.

Thanks to Arne Huseby for the music. The song is Warm Duck Shuffle and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.

Ebony Cooksie is the Market Development Manager and Government Affairs Coordinator for NextLink Internet and we talked at Net Inclusion about how she transitioned from working in education to digital equity. With so many people new to this field, transitioning often from health and medical fields, we thought it would be helpful to talk about the transition.

This show is 13 minutes long and can be played on this page or using the podcast app of your choice with this feed.

Transcript below. 

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes here or see other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance here.

Thanks to Joseph McDade for the music. The song is On the Verge and is used per his Free-Use terms.

Dave Sevick, Executive Director at Computer Reach in Pittsburgh, has taken his experience helping people with devices and supercharged it for digital equity work. Computer Reach refurbishes computers and sends digital navigators into the home in both urban and rural areas, which is an interesting challenge that many have not attempted. We talk about how they are funded and why they often use Linux-powered devices, among many other topics. 

This show is 18 minutes long and can be played on this page or using the podcast app of your choice with this feed.

Transcript below. 

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes here or see other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance here.

Thanks to Joseph McDade for the music. The song is On the Verge and is used per his Free-Use terms.

Marvin Venay is the Chief Advocacy Officer for Tech Goes Home in Boston, a digital equity organization that has been building tech skills and working on the digital divide for longer than most. Sean Gonsalves talks with him about their process, how they continued to thrive even after the BTOP money dried up years ago, navigating the pandemic, expanding further into Massachusetts, and their future plans.

This show is 19 minutes long and can be played on this page or using the podcast app of your choice with this feed.

Transcript below. 

We want your feedback and suggestions for the show-please e-mail us or leave a comment below.

Listen to other episodes here or see other podcasts from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance here.

Thanks to Joseph McDade for the music. The song is On the Verge and is used per his Free-Use terms.