Bridging the digital divide; Winston-Salem church to open computer lab

By Bertrand M. Gutierrez | Winston Salem Journal

Published: August 19, 2011

Janis Walker is ready to become more digitally savvy.

At Whole Man Ministries, a church on Old Lexington Road in southeastern Winston-Salem, Walker recently put herself on the list for an eight-week basic computer course.

"My grandsons have a touch-screen phone and they've showed it to me. I have some computer skills, but I haven't been around them for 10 years, and I want to refresh myself," said Walker, 63.

That's the idea, said Kenneth Holly, a minister at the church.

The church's Bridging the Gap Community Center is accepting up to 25 people such as Walker for the basic computer course. The start date has not been set, but the course will begin next month, Holly said. Participants who complete the course will be eligible to buy a computer for as little as $25.

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South Carolina Businesses Using Broadband Report Higher Annual Revenues than State Averages

Broadband is fast becoming the foundation for economic development in America as more and more businesses become reliant on this technology to communicate, transact, and innovate.

But in South Carolina, 23 percent of businesses do not use the Internet, according to the Connect South Carolina Business Technology Assessment of 805 South Carolina businesses in 2010. 

Seven out of ten of those businesses say they don’t need the Internet or broadband service, or don’t know why their business doesn’t subscribe. Yet, the Assessment Survey found that South Carolina businesses that use broadband service report having median annual revenues that are $200,000 higher than the state average.

The economic future of communities in South Carolina depends not only on whether robust broadband infrastructure is present but also on whether businesses and individuals fully utilize that technology to grow and develop local economies.

Help us continue to bring broadband to more homes and businesses in South Carolina by getting involved. Follow Connected Nation and Connect South Carolina on Twitter.

 

Obama Administration Releases Report, Highlights Rural Broadband Expansion

By Jeneba Ghatt | POLITIC365

Published August 21, 2011

The White House Rural Council released the report Jobs and Economic Security in Rural America which highlighted the fact that many rural communities “have lower incomes, higher poverty rates, worse health outcomes, and lower educational attainment than urban and suburban areas.” Highlighted was the expansion of broadband access to over “7 million rural Americans, including 3 million rural households and over 350,000 rural businesses” in the August 2011 report.

To combat the negative factors presented, the Council presented its findings and made specific suggestions on ways to address these issues.

Also, in a letter included in the report, US Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack noted that the report listed “vital strategies that can and will be used to seize those opportunities and tackle some of the toughest challenges facing our rural communities.”

Finally, it included a summary of some administration accomplishments already made that would enhance opportunities for rural Americans:

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Millions going to Expanding the Internet

By admin in Custom, Internet

The state of South Carolina is also benefiting from millions of dollars in funds dedicated to expanding broadband to all residents. Overall, South Carolina has received almost 16 million dollars. Officials say this is a great way for citizens to actually see where the money from the Recovery Act is going and how it is affecting their lives.

The money will be used to expand internet access at 16 state technical colleges in addition to being used elsewhere. The money will also help fund the purchase of more than 2,000 new computers in order to expand 51 public computer centers and create 19 new computer labs. This will allow the number of users to double from 17,000 per week to more than 38,000 users. In short, this will help residents with more opportunities for education and improving job skills. In turn, that can help draw down unemployment numbers as South Carolinians gain new skills and have better ways of finding out about job openings.

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Technology Report Shows how Broadband Makes Good Business Sense in South Carolina

A study released today by Connect South Carolina shows the economic benefits businesses gain from using broadband. The research, which can be found at http://www.connectsc.org/research/, illustrates the impact of broadband on South Carolina businesses and highlights differences in revenues between businesses with and without broadband, the number of businesses that increase their revenues by using the Internet, and the number of businesses that empower their employees to telework.

Across South Carolina, businesses that subscribe to broadband report median annual revenues that are $200,000 higher than businesses that do not use broadband. South Carolina businesses that subscribe to broadband and maintain a website report median annual revenues that are $300,000 higher than businesses that do not use broadband at all.

While broadband-connected businesses tend to earn higher median annual revenues than their peers who do not subscribe, this difference is most pronounced among rural businesses. Rural South Carolina businesses with broadband have median annual incomes that are $500,000 greater than their peers without broadband.

From an employment perspective, three out of four Internet-connected South Carolina businesses in the Agriculture, Mining, Construction, and Utilities sectors bid on contracts online, effectively increasing the workforce opportunities.

Connect South Carolina is a statewide public-private partnership working on broadband expansion. The new Business Technology Assessment reveals how technology is being used by businesses and where gaps still remain across the state. The assessment is designed to measure technology adoption and the awareness of available broadband service among state businesses, and establish benchmarks for these metrics.

Help us continue to bring broadband to more homes and businesses in South Carolina by getting involved. Follow @ConnectedNation and/or @Connectsc.

Connect South Carolina Report Demonstrates Broadband is Key to Higher Business Revenues

Survey of South Carolina businesses establishes link between high-speed Internet use and bottom line

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Columbia, South Carolina — A newly released study by Connect South Carolina shows businesses with broadband have a clear advantage in revenue and thus potential job creation over businesses without it. The research, which can be found at http://www.connectsc.org/research/, involved surveys of more than 805 businesses across the state and shows that businesses using high-speed Internet connections report median annual revenues $200,000 more than businesses without broadband. However, the research estimates that approximately 29,000 South Carolina businesses still do not use broadband technology today.

“In the digital economy, businesses must embrace broadband, and other transformative technologies like it, in order to survive,” said Brian Mefford, CEO of Connected Nation, Connect South Carolina’s parent organization. “The Internet is driving products and services to the marketplace in an environment where creativity and innovation are both reinforced and rewarded.”

The new survey is the first of its kind and takes an in-depth look at all sectors of the state’s economy. The new interactive application is available on the Connect South Carolina website and allows you to see the impact on specific sectors of the state’s economy, from healthcare and manufacturing, to tourism and education.

Connect South Carolina is a statewide public-private partnership working on broadband expansion. The new Business Technology Assessment reveals how technology is being used by businesses and where gaps still remain across the state. The assessment is designed to measure technology adoption and the awareness of available broadband service among state businesses, and establish benchmarks for these results.

The findings demonstrate a significant correlation between high-speed Internet adoption and a business’s bottom line, and provide a groundbreaking overview of business uses of technology. For instance:

• While broadband-connected businesses tend to earn higher median annual revenues than their peers who do not subscribe, this difference is most pronounced among rural businesses. Rural South Carolina businesses with broadband have median annual incomes that are $500,000 greater than their peers without broadband

• 23% of all businesses – and 34% of small businesses with fewer than five employees – do not use broadband for their daily business needs

• Only 64% of businesses in the Healthcare sector use broadband, representing a potentially significant loss to the economy in terms of increased healthcare service delivery costs

• 21% of businesses let employees telework

• 7 out of 10 businesses that do not subscribe to broadband say that either they do not need broad¬band or they do not know why they don’t subscribe. This is by far the most often-cited barrier to broad¬band adoption, followed by the lack of a computer, perceived security risks, and expense

Increasing broadband capacity among businesses is just one area that Connect South Carolina is focused on. Across the state, the initiative is collaborating with local partners to increase broadband accessibility and use in vulnerable areas.

Connect South Carolina has partnered with the state of South Carolina to create the first broadband inventory maps and engage in a research project to better understand broadband adoption across the state. The project is focused on gathering accurate and reliable data on broadband to aid in planning, the creation of local technology teams, and the facilitation of computer ownership and Internet access programs.

The program is funded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) under the State Broadband Initiatives (SBI) Program. Connect South Carolina’s broadband mapping efforts are in compliance with NTIA’s Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the SBI and are reflected in the National Broadband Map.

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