Although Little Rock was concerned about access to reliable internet before the pandemic, as schools and businesses shifted to a hybrid operating model, issues of digital equity rose to the forefront of the city's priorities. The Mayor's Office defines digital equity as access to reliable high-speed Internet, digital literacy, and the availability of devices and software that meet user needs. As part of the work to increase digital equity in the city, the mayor's office would like to reconsider how they can develop and maintain a public Wi-Fi program.
A third level of the digital divide is related to tangible outcomes that benefit groups that are most likely to maximize the use of digital tools (Van Deursen & Van Dijk, 2019). Initial conversations with the Little Rock Mayor's Office revolved around supporting the development of a stakeholder-informed expansion of the current public Wi-Fi network. As we continued research supporting Wi-Fi expansion, we wondered what other factors might be mitigating digital equity within the city.
SQ2: What is the level of awareness of the usefulness and benefits of the Internet for adopters and non-adopters. The second half of the survey asks participants to describe how they access the Internet (e.g. We spoke with them to understand the feedback mechanism the Mayor's Office uses to ensure initiatives are in direct response to community needs .
Their digital guides are included in survey creation feedback rounds and they are deeply invested in digital equity within the community. A review of the city's website identified public Wi-Fi hotspots at six different community centers throughout the city (yellow markers in Figure 12) as well as at nine parks (blue markers in Figure 11). Research Question 3: What is the level of awareness of the Internet's utility and benefits for adopters and non-adopters.
It is structured to demonstrate an organization's direct or indirect relationship with the mayor's office, while showing what level of the digital divide anchors the relationship. A main finding from the interviews was that the mayor's office is critical of building a shared focus on digital justice, although the majority of collaborative efforts are focused on the first and second levels of digital equity. Their awareness of the city's digital equity plan was made clear during our interview with the DEI's office.
Although the mayor's office is central to many digital capital partners, as shown in Figure 15, most relationships address only the first and second levels of the digital divide. For example, the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub (ARI) created a digital literacy website at the request of the Little Rock School District. Based on our interviews, there may be problems with the visibility of direct and indirect partners of the mayor's office that affect the coordination of digital capital.
Our initial partnership with the Little Rock Mayor's Office centered around creating a stakeholder-informed expansion of the city's public Wi-Fi.
Develop a multi-modal citywide Wi-Fi campaign and expand public Wi-Fi hotspots to high- traffic locations throughout the city
So, in fact, 35 of our participants did not send their address information so that we could find out which department they are in. Another thing we've learned is that most of our residents don't even know what ward they live in. I mean, maybe I could have guessed before I started working in the city, and that speaks to a whole other access issue that I'm talking about. was thinking.
It is an understanding of the city government and access to city council meetings, which last four hours each week. Although they are available online, since the pandemic, it is still not available to the majority of our population." (R. Amponsah, personal interview, December 2022). This quote speaks to immigrant communities that have digital needs and the difficulty of providing them information when they are unable to express these needs, mainly due to their discomfort in providing personal contact information.
Our initial partnership with the Little Rock Mayor's Office centered around creating a stakeholder-informed expansion of the city's public Wi-Fi. However, as the relationship deepened during the data collection phase, the team began to think more broadly about the overall implementation of Little Rock's digital equity plan. Therefore, the recommendations below relate specifically to findings related to expansion plans as well as continuous improvement considerations for the city's comprehensive plan. Another option could be to identify specific areas within the city that are frequently visited, such as bus/train stops, shopping centers or business parks, for hotspot installations.
As the city expands Wi-Fi hotspots, they will need to use a multi-modal awareness campaign. 2017) noted that cultural capital is a motivational determinant of Internet use. Therefore, the city will need to consider how to communicate the program to a diverse group of stakeholders. As demonstrated by many interviews, choices in language and type of marketing collateral were often barriers to participation.
By diversifying the type of collateral used to communicate an expanded Wi-Fi program, the mayor's office could reach a broader swath of the population. Additional collateral may include media news spots and flyers distributed through schools, libraries and other nonprofits while social media campaigns continue. By strategically using the data to provide Wi-Fi options on the go, the Mayor's Office can directly impact the third-level digital divide and ensure that underserved groups can access the benefits of the Internet.
Hire a full-time Digital Equity Liaison to facilitate ongoing collaboration and progress monitoring of Little Rock’s digital equity plan amongst local organizations and Mayor’s Office departments
As indicated in the findings, Little Rock's work thus far has focused broadly on increased access to the. Addressing the third level requires identifying vulnerable populations and engaging in deeper root cause analysis around the origin of said gap. While there was a clear need to focus on school-aged children and approach the work through an educational lens during the pandemic, the city can now expand their reach to other underserved populations.
With less time and energy spent on immediate needs (as was needed during the pandemic), a full-time liaison may be able to proactively engage specific workforce industries as well as healthcare facilities. By working towards a digital equality coalition led by the Mayor's Office, the existing network can be optimized around the first and second level separation, thus creating opportunities for the Mayor's Office to design a strategy that will benefit the population by now see the least tangible results of internet usage. .
Create a strategy to utilize the city’s existing resident engagement opportunities to survey the needs of target populations
With the preponderance of previous research related to the impact of the digital divide on lower. It is likely that the timing of the survey during the holiday season may have contributed to the low participation rate. Furthermore, the data collected only provides a snapshot of digital stock needs at a moment in time for Little Rock.
Overall, this study is intended to support the implementation of Little Rock's digital capital plan. The impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on public and private elementary and secondary education in the United States (preliminary data): results from the 2020–21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS). This research was developed by two Vanderbilt doctoral students in collaboration with the City of Little Rock.
We will use the results to improve public Wi-Fi access, develop digital literacy workshops, and increase Internet services across Little Rock. When you use wi-fi in public spaces (Starbucks, libraries, schools, park pavilions, etc.), please let us know if you agree or disagree with the following statements. Please let us know if you have ever engaged in the following Internet-related or online activities.
Please let us know if you are AWARE that the following activities can be done on the Internet. What does success in the digital equity space look like for your organization and the stakeholders you serve. Does your organization have a roadmap of activities that need to take place to achieve digital equity goals.
What are the characteristics that identify the current focus communities to improve digital equality. How is the community involved in the development of digital equity initiatives and who are these key stakeholders. What are the preferred communication tools used to communicate with the community and how does the community engage your organization.
Can you describe how digital equity efforts are marketed and distributed to the community? The following diagram describes possible factors that influence the use of the Internet inside and outside the home.
