1. Digital Inclusion
Broadband Communities

2. Introduction
• Community Technology Advisors - making the
connection between broadband and
economic development
• Last few years - two primary clients using
Intelligent Community Forum framework
• Dakota Future - Smart 21 Intelligent
Community
• Blandin Foundation - MN Intelligent Rural
Communities NTIA BTOP SBA grant

3. Intelligent Community
Framework
• Broadband, Knowledge Workers, Innovation,
Digital Inclusion and Marketing
• Framework brings digital inclusion discussion
to a different audience of economic
developers and workforce developers with
both motivation and resources

4. Reasons People Do
Not Adopt
• Digital Inclusion
• Too expensive (not affordable or people
do not see value)
• Nothing on the Internet that I need
(perceived lack of relevancy due to lack of
knowledge)
• Infrastructure and services
• Lack of availability

5. Basic Education system KEY - baked into
program; meeting people with appropriate
Success stories
and usable training when people are
motivated.
• Project Fine in Winona MN - Non-profit serving
Hispanic and Asian immigrants. Classes with
interpreters in two languages and classes in
English KEY: Comfortable environment for
new Americans with high levels of trust
• Somali Cultural Center - Willmar, MN -
Computer lab with training for men and
women taught by technically competent
Somali community members KEY:
Comfortable environment for new Americans
with high levels of trust.

6. This is a hassle
These people do not pay their bills
ISP Challenges
They will drop after the subsidy
Community Message - Non-adopters are tough
for providers to reach. They are older, poorer
and less educated. Providers need community
partners to reach and shift these non-adopters.
MIRC raised adoption rates 15% faster in our
demonstration communities than the rural
Minnesota statewide rate and we believe our
statewide activities has a stimulating effect
statewide.
Rural MN has approximately 500,0000 rural

7. Digital Inclusion Key
• People need a device
Elements it
• People need to know how to use
• People need a connection to the network
• Low-income people do not prefer mobile
connections, this is what they can afford.
People of higher incomes connect in every
which way.
• Go where people are to train them and
connect them rather than expecting to be
able to effectively market to them and