Digital Inclusion Summit: An Important Conversation Long in the Making

(Editor’s note: The following includes key updates to the original post of this article on April 20.)

On Thursday May 10, from 8:30am-4pm, at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in downtown Portland, the greater Multnomah County-area Digital Inclusion Network (DIN) will host the second-ever Digital Inclusion Summit.

The 2018 Summit – which is a specific action item of the City of Portland/Multnomah County 2016 Digital Equity Action Plan (DEAP) – will provide a public space for policy makers and community and business leaders to discuss pervasive digital inequities in our state and possible solutions to meet 21st century digital needs. This summit is but one example of the important work carried out by DIN partners, and CUB is honored to support and advocate for these efforts.

Important Background
In September 2010, Portland City Council ordered the Office of Cable Communications and Franchise Management (or OCCFM - now called the Office for Community Technology) to partner with the Portland Development Commission (now called Prosper Portland) and the Bureau of Technology Services to develop a “Broadband Strategic Plan” (BSP) and report back within a year. The group completed the plan the following summer and presented detailed findings to Portland City Council in the fall of 2011.

OCCFM Deputy Director, Mary Beth Henry, spearheaded this successful effort. And while the BSP covers a lot of ground in laying out five overall strategic goals touching on a range of issues – infrastructure, education and employment, as well as the need for greater administrative efficiency (identifying policy overlaps and room for cross-departmental collaborations) – the focus of this particular article and that of the 2018 Summit is digital equity and inclusion.

BSP goal number two of five calls for the City to “eliminate broadband capacity, equity, access and affordability gaps so Portland achieves near universal adoption of broadband services for all residents, small businesses and community-based organizations”. The plan further fleshes out the goal to develop a separate plan: the above-mentioned DEAP.

First, however, the City and County launched a series of targeted outreach and needs assessment efforts with the shared goal of convening a group of engaged community stakeholders while better understanding the breadth and depth of digital inequities in Multnomah County. Mary Beth Henry once again commanded these efforts, with the added support of Multnomah County Library and other community leaders. The OCCFM had by that point changed its name to the Office for Community Technology (OCT) during what CUB views as a problematic structural realignment of the City’s governance structure.

The initial springboard for these efforts was a 2014 Digital Inclusion Summit. Summit attendees (this author included) served as founding members of the DIN, which functions today as a coalition of community organizations interested in raising awareness and driving action around digital equity barriers. The DIN leveraged the energy and enthusiasm behind the 2014 Summit to develop the DEAP. And in spring 2016, both the City of Portland and Multnomah County passed DEAP resolutions.

Summit Details
Roughly two years after completing the DEAP, the DIN group acknowledged that it was time to reconvene community stakeholders, evaluate progress, and – perhaps most important of all – engage in an open and honest discussion about where to head next.

The 2018 Summit will feature a range of community leaders, including Multnomah County Chair, Deborah Kafoury, Multnomah County Libraries Director, Vailey Oehlke, as well as three panel discussions, and a special video introduction from Oregon Senator, Ron Wyden.

CUB’s Outreach Manager, Samuel Pastrick, organized the closing panel, and enlisted Mary Beth Henry to moderate: “When (Policy) Worlds Collide: The Intersectionality of Federal, State, and Local Policies as they relate to Digital Equity and Inclusion”. Other panels include “Building a Diverse, Local Workforce Pipeline” and “The Power of Digital Inclusion to Decrease Health Disparities”.

The central thesis of the “policy panel” is that Congress and the Federal Communications Commission continue to make Internet-related policy decisions affecting Oregonians, and too often these decisions result in disproportionate barriers for historically underserved and underrepresented communities. Repeal of network neutrality and Internet consumer privacy rules, as well as the more recent proposed dismantling of the Lifeline program have already caused a policy backlash, resulting in swift and continuing action at both state and local levels.

The panel will explore federal policy and Oregon’s reaction, both at the state and local level. Do these policy responses adequately address concerns? What should we expect going forward – federally and across Oregon?

An impressive group will help answer these questions: Representative Pam Marsh, District 5 (Ashland) - Oregon House; Kimberly McCullough, Policy Director - ACLU Oregon; Jonathan Bartholomew, Director of Government Relations - AARP Oregon; Grace Stratton, Advisor to Senator Ron Wyden; and Ricardo Lujan Valerio, Legislative Director - Oregon Student Association.

CUB applauds efforts, like the Summit, undertaken by the DIN group because they embrace the whole of the community and underscore the need for improved public policy. At the same time, we continue our strong advocacy of OCT and will continue to nudge City leadership with regard to information and communications technology policy.

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